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Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIK  STREIT 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CJHIVI/ICIVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Instituv  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notea/Notas  tachniquaa  at  bibhographiquaa 


Tha  Inatituta  haa  attampta^  to  obtain  tha  baat 
original  copy  availabia  for  filnfiing.  Faaturaa  of  thia 
copy  which  rnf<y  ba  biblioiraphically  uniqua, 
which  may  aitar  any  of  tha  imagaa  in  tha 
raproduction,  or  which  may  aignificantiy  change 
the  uauai  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


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Coloured  covera/ 
Couvertura  de  couieur 

Covers  damaged/ 
Couvarture  endommagia 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couvarture  restaurte  et/ou  peliicul^e 

Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


I      I    Coloured  maps/ 


D 


D 


y 


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D 


Cartes  gAographiquaa  en  couieur 

Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  birck)/ 
Encra  de  couieur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


□   Coloured  plates  and/or  iilustraiiona/ 
Planches  et/ou  illustrationa  :>n  couieur 


Bound  with  other  material/ 
Reiii  avac  d'autras  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  reliure  sarrde  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  [ong  de  la  marge  intirinure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  pei:t  que  certaines  pages  blanches  aJoutAas 
tors  d'une  restauration  app&raissant  dans  la  texte, 
mais,  lorsqua  cela  Atait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  6t4  filiTiAes. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  supplAmar.tairas: 


L'Institut  a  microfilm*  le  m^illeur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  «tA  poaaibla  de  ae  procurer.  Lea  ditaiia 
da  cat  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-Atre  un!ques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographiqua,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  m^thoda  normale  de  f ilmage 
sont  indiquAs  ci-desaous. 


I      I   Coloured  pages/ 


D 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  filmA  au  taux  da  reduction  kndiqu*  ci-dassout. 


Pagea  de  couieur 
Pages  damaged/ 


I I    Pages  andommagies 

Pages  restored  and/oi 

Pages  restaur6es  et/ou  peilicul6es 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxe( 
Pagea  dicoiortes,  tachaties  ou  piqudes 

PsQes  detached/ 
Pages  d^tachdas 


I — I   Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
I — I    Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
I      I    Paces  detached/ 


'~7\   Showthrough/ 
:dJ   Transparence 


I      I    Quality  of  print  varies/ 


Quality  in6gale  do  Timpression 

Includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  material  supplAmantaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seuie  idition  diaponible 


Pagea  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalamant  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuilEet  d'arrata,  une  pelure, 
et;:.,  ont  4t6  filmies  A  nouveau  de  fapon  A 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

30X 

■H^ 

'■'"■ 



■"^ 







■H^H 

"^^^ 





7 

12X                            1«X                            20X                            24X                            2tX                            32X 

I 

The  copy  filmed  here  has  beon  re.iroduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

Library  of  the  Public 
Archives  uf  Canada 


L'exempleire  fllm4  fut  reproduit  grftce  H  la 
gAnirositi  de: 

La  Dibliothdque  des  Archives 
publiques  du  Canada 


The  Images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
posslbfe  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Les  images  suivantes  ont  6t6  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  netteti  de  I'exemplalre  filnsd,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
fllmage. 


Original  copies  In  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  Impres- 
sion, Of  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  arc  filmed  beginning  on  the 
fir^ft  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  f^ontain  the  symbol  -^^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Les  exempiaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprim6e  sont  fllm6s  en  commenpant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  so:t  par  le  second 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  filmis  en  commenpant  par  la 
premldre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  an  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  -^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE ',  le 
symbole  V  signifie  "FIN". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  ^t 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  lop  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
film^s  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diff6rents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clich6,  11  est  film6  d  pertir 
de  Tangle  supdrieur  gauche,  de  gauche  it  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  has,  en  prenant  ie  nombre 
d'images  ndcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mdthode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 


6 


F 


Missionary  Labors    (/^/ 


OF 


Fathers  Marquette,  (lenard  and  Allouez 


IN  THK 


LAKE  SUPKRIOR  REGION. 


BY 


Rjv.  CHRYSOSTOM  VHRWYST.  0.  .\  F., 


OK 


l^Av FIELD,  Wis, 


HOFFMANN   BROTHERS, 


MILWAUKEE: 
413  East  Water  Strert, 


Pl.Bl.lSHKRs, 


1886. 


CHrCAGCi: 
207  Wabash  Avenue. 


J- 


I 


*r«m  |lcrmi«»u  ^ni^ertontm. 


Entered  aecordir.K-  to  Act  of  Congress.  i„  the  year  I88*i. 

By  Rkv.  Chkvsostom  Vkrwvkt,  ().  S.  F., 

in  the  office  o.  the  [Jbrttrian   of  (.ou^rrss,  at  WushiriKton.  I).  O. 


ALL   UIGHTH   UHSKKVED. 


PREFACE. 


>n 


*HE  writing  of  this  little  work  has  been  a  labor  of  love  to 
the  author.  About  a  year  ago  his  attention  was  drawn 
to  the  labors  of  Fathers  AUouez  and  Marquette  in  the 
vicinity  of  Ashland  and  Bayfield.  Then  came  the  question: 
Where  are  we  to  look  for  the  site  of  their  church  in  this 
neighborhood?  Popular  opinion  pointed  out  La  Pointe  on 
Madeline  Island  as  the  place  where  the  old  Jesuit  church  once 
stood.  Having  written,  however,  to  a  Very  Rev.  Friend, 
whose  name  elsewhere  occurs  in  this  little  volume,  in  regard 
to  this  matter,  he  soon  ascertained  from  the  citations  given 
from  the  ''Jesuit  Relations"  of  1667-71,  that  we  must  not 
look  for  the  site  of  said  church  on  Madelrine  Island,  but  on 
the  mainland,  at  the  head  of  Chagaouamigong  (Chequame- 
gon)  Bay.  The  reading  of  these  citations  awakened  in  the 
writer  a  desire  to  learn  more  of  the  history  of  said  mission, 
and  he  accordingly  expressed  a  wish  to  that  effect  to  the 
Very  Rev.  Gentleman  above  referred  to,  who  kindly  sent  him. 
the  "  Relations  "  and  many  other  works  containing  much 
valuable  information  in  regard  to  the  history  of  the  early 
missionaries  of  the  Lake  Superior  region.  These  sources 
of  information  the  writer  has  used  in  the  compilation  of  the 
little  work  he  now  offers  to  the  public.  H[e  is  fully  aware  of 
its  great  imperfection.  The  care  of  an  extensive  mission 
made  it  impossible  to  bestow  that  care  and  study  upon  the 
work,  which  it  deserves.  Still,  he  has  honestly  endeavored 
to  do  his  best  to  give  the  reader  a  reliable  and  full  account 
of  the  labors  and  trials  of  the  three  most  prominent  Jesuit 
Fathers  that  worked  in  the  missionary  field  of  northern  Wis- 
consin. We  mean  Father  Menard,  who  arrived  in  the  I^ake 
Superior  country  in  1660;  Father  Allouez,  who  came  to 
Chagaouamigong  in  1665,  and  Father  Marquette,  who  labored 


I 


f    \ 


I  I 


IV 

here  from  1669-71.  We  have  endeavored  to  gi -e  facts  and 
dates  aB  truthtully  and  reliably  as  could  be  ascertained,  for 
the  reader  wants  nistory,  not  romance.  If  thei  o  is  anything 
the  writer  detests  it  is  the  superficial,  romav^ing  style  of 
historical  writing  so  common  nowadays  in  rae  vazines,  news-* 
papers,  and  books  of  travel.  They  are  genenily  a  mixture 
of  true  and  error,  written  by  men  gifted  with  a  ;  3rtain  amount 
of  superficial  knowledge,  but  to  whom  truth  is  a  matter  of 
only  secondary  importance,  their  main  aim  >Ang  to  appear 
cute  and  smart  and  to  write  sensational  stui  ,  so  aw  to  find 
ready  sale  for  their  crude  productions.  W  see  enough  of 
that  romancing  style  of  writing  history  in  t].e  newspaper  ac- 
counts of  the  La  Pointe  church  and  the  ear]/  Jesuit  misdion 
in  this  vicinity.  We  have  endeavored  to  a^^oid  their  ways, 
seeking  but  the  plain  truth  in  all  things.  At  the  bottom  of 
the  respective  page  we  always  give  the  autlior's  name,  with 
the  number  of  the  page,  so  that  tlie  reader  can  verify  our 
statements.  However,  we  do  not  claim  infallibility.  To  err 
is  human,  and  in  spite  of  all  our  endeavors  we  may  have 
made  occasionally  a  mistake,  for  which  we  ask  the  reader's 
indiilgence.  In  the  preparation  of  this  work  we  have  re- 
csived  valuable  assistance  from  the  Very  Rev.  Friend  above 
spoken  of,  and  others  who  sent  us  historical  documents;  to 
all  and  everyone  of  whom  we  hereby  tender  our  sincere 
thanks.  We  have  added  some  "Historical  and  biographical 
notes,"  as  also  a  short  dissertation  on  some  peculiarities  of 
the  Chippewa  language,  which  we  hope  may  be  of  interest 
*  to  th*i  reader.  Whatever  will  be  realized  from  the  sale  of 
this  little  book  will  be  applied  for  the  benefit  of  the  Indian 
mission.  Should  this  little  work  contribute  «ver  so  little 
towards  promoting  respect  for  the  memory  of  the  pious  and 
zealous  missionaries  spoken  of  in  its  pages,  the  writer  will 
consider  himself  abundantly  repaid  j'or  all  the  labor  bestowed 
upon  it. 

Bayfield,  Wis.,  July  14,  1886. 


and 
for 


I  NDEX. 


I.  Father  Menard,  the  pioijeer  missionary  of  Lake 
Superior;  his  labors,  trial  and  hardships  among 
the  Hurons  and  Iroquois;   his  journey   to    St. 

Theresa  (Keweenaw)  Bay 9 

II.    Father  Menard's  labors  at  St.  Theresa  Bay 18 

III.  Continuation  of  Father  Menard's  labois  and  suffer- 

ings at  St.  Theresa  Bay  ;  his  death  at  the  head- 
waters of  Black  liiver 24 

IV.  Great  earthquake  in  Canada  and  its  prodigious 

effects 82 

V.    Journal  of  the  voyage  of  Father  Claude  Allouez  to 

the  land  of  the  Outaouacs  (Ottawas) 86 

VI.    On  the  arrival  of  the  missionary  and  his  stay  at  the 
Bay  of  tlie  Holy  (ihost,  called  Chagaouamigong 

(Chequamegon) *. 44 

VII.    General  council  of  the    tribes   of  the   Outaouac 

country 4H 

VIII.    On  the  false  gods  and  superstitions  customs  of  the 

Indians  of  that  country 48 

IX.    Account  of  the  mission  of  the  Holy  (Jhost  at  Lake 

Tracy  (Lake  Superior) .52 

X.    On  the  Diission  of  the  Tionnontateheronnons  (Hu- 
rons of  Tionnontate  or  Tobacco  Nation) 55 

XI.    On  the  mission  of  the  Outaouacs,  Kiskakoumac 

and  Outaouasinagouc , .    57 

XII.    On  the  mission  of  the  Pouteouatamiouec  (Potta- 

watami) 59 

XIII.  On  thf-  inission  of  the  Ousakiouek  (Sacs)  and  Outa- 

gamiouek  (Foxcd) 04 

XIV.  On  the  mission  of  the  lllimouec  or  Alimouec  (Illi- 

nois)     &} 


VI 

XV.    On  the  mission  of  the  Nadouessionek  (Sioiix) 68 

XVI.    On  the  mission  of  the  Kilistinonp  (Crees)  and  that 

of  the  Onlchibouec  {('hippewas) «9 

XVII.  On  the  mission  of  the  Nipissiriniens  (Nipissings), 
and  of  tlie  voyage  of  F'ather  Allouez  ti»  Lake 
Alimibegong  ( Nepigon ) 71 

XVIII.    Father  Allouez  goes  to  Quebec.    Me  returns  to  the 

Outaouacs 78 

XIX.    On  the  mission  of  tlie  Holy  Ghost  among  the  Outa- 
ouacs      7.1 

XX.    On  the  mission  of  LaPointe  du  Saint  Ksprit  in  Mie 

country  of  the  Algonquin  Outaouacs 77 

XXI.    On  the  mission   nmong  the   Outaouacs   and   es- 
pecially of  the  mission  Sault  Sle.  Marie 83 

XXll.    On  the  nature  and  peculiarities  of  the  Sault  and  of 

the  tribes  who  are  in  the  habit  of  going  there. . .    84 

XXIII.  On  the  mission  of  the  Holy  (J host  at  the  Point  of 

(Jhagaouamigong  (('liequamegon)  in  Lake  Tracy 
or  Superior 88 

XX IV.  On  the  mines  of  copper  found  at  Lake  Superior 89 

XXV.    Of  the  tribes  connected  with  the  mission  of  the 

Holy  Ghost  at  the  I'oint,  called  Chagaouamigong    94 
XXVI.    Letter  of  Father  Marquette  to  the  Rev.  Father 

Superior  of  the  mission  9() 

XXVIl.    Necessary  explanation  in  order  to  get  a  correct 

idea  of  the  Outaouac  missions 10.5 

XXVIII.    The  formal  taking  possession  of  the  entire  Ou- 

taouac  country  in  the  name  of  the  king  of  France  109 
XXIX.    The  mission  of  the  Holy  Ghost  at  the  extremity  of 
Lake  Superior  abandoned ;   Father   Marquette 

goes  to  Missilimackinac  (Mackinaw) 113 

XXX.    Father  Marquette  at  St.  Ignace. 114 

XXXI.    Subsequent  career  of  Father  Marquette ;  he  dis- 
covers and  explores  the  Mississippi ;  returns  to 

the  Bay  of  the  Puants  (Green  Bay) 116 

XXXII.  Last  voyage  of  Father  Marquette.  He  founds  the 
mission  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  among 
the  Illinois  and  dies  on  his  way  back  to  Mack- 
inaw   12a 


71 
78 
75 

77 
83 

84 


XXXfll 


XXXIV 


I. 

II. 

III. 

IV. 
V. 


VII 

Discovery  of  Father  Miircniette's  jfruve  at  Point  St. 
I^MiHce,  Mich.  Letter  of  Very  Rev.  Father  E. 
.lacker  lo  the  v.riter,  KivinR  a  full  account  of 
said  discovery  made  by  him lao 

Ue-establishmentof  the  mission  of  the  Holy  (Ihost 
under  the  patronage  of  St.  Joseph,  by  Father 
Haraga;  his  successors;  present  state  of  the 
mission ;  conclusion 143 

AIM'FNDIX. 

Biogra[)hical  and  historical  notes UiH 

Indian  customs  of  Lake  Superior  country .  193 

Some  peculiarities  of  the  Chippewa  language 246 

Comparison  of  the  Chippewa  with  the  languages, 

ancient  and  modern,  of  the  Old  World 263 

Chronological  Table 258 


h^ 


}    I' 
1    i  • 


'^ 


I 


If 


CHAPTER  I. 


Father  Menard,   ttte  Pioneer  Missionary   of  Lake  Su- 
perior j  HIS  Labors,  trials  and  hardships  among  the 

HURONS    AND    IrOQUOISJ      HIS   JOURNEY    TO    St.    ThERESA 

(Keweenaw)  Bay. 

Towards  the  end  of  March,  1640,  three  vessels  bound  for 
Quebec  left  the  harbor  of  Dieppe,  France,  and  casting  anchor 
within  sight  of  the  town,  they  awaited  a  favorable  breeze  for 
their  westerly  voyage.  A  terrible  storm,  however,  broke 
out,  which  lasted  fron?  the  26th  of  March  to  the  28th  of 
April.  "  I  do  not  know,"  said  Father  Menard,  who  was 
aboard  the  flagship  of  the  flotilla,  the  '  Esperance,'  "I  do 
noi  'mow  whether  the  evil  spirits  foresaw  some  great  good 
to  ue  effected  by  our  passage,  but  appar'^ntly  they  were 
determined  to  sink  us  in  the  very  roadste"  d.  They  stirred 
up  the  whole  ocean;  they  unchained  the  winds  and  excited 
temppsts  so  frightful  and  continuous,  that  they  came  near 
destroying  us  within  sight  of  Dieppe."  On  board  the  same 
vessel  were  another  Jesuit  Father  and  two  lay -brothers,  two 
Sisters  of  Mercy  and  two  Ursuline  Nuns,  all  of  them  deter- 
mined to  devote  the  rest  of  their  lives  to  the  service  of  the 
Catholic  colonists  and  the  pagan  Indians  of  Canada,  or,  as  it 
was  then  called,  New  France. 

After  a  pleasant  voyage  of  two  months,  they  reached 
Tadoussac,  June  1st,  and  in  a  few  days  later  Quebec,  which 
was  then  but  a  poor  fort  with  a  few  log  houses.  In  1608, 
one  year  after  the  building  ot  Jamestown,  Virginia,  Cham  plain 
built  the  first  log  cabin  in  Quebec.  In  1629  it  was  burnt  by 
a  French  party  in  the  service  of  the  English,  but  three  years 
later,  when  Canada  was  restored  to  the  French,  it  was  rebuilt 
and  from  that  time  became  the  center  whence  Mibsionaries 
were  sent  in  all  directions. 

About  a  year  after  his  arrival,  Father  Menard  was  sent  to 
the  Hurons.    This  tribe  occupied  a  small  strip  of  territory 


10 


on  the  southeastern  shore  of  Georgian  Bay  and  rere  then 
a  large  and  proRperoas  tribe,  numbering  at  least  30,000  souls, 
living  in  some  twenty  large  settlements.  Their  deadly  foes 
were  the  Iroquois,  or  Five  Nations  of  New  York,  with  whom 
they  were  continually  in  war  and  by  whom  they  were  well 
nigh  exterminated  in  1648-49^  A  small  party,  numbering 
about  o(X),  after  many  wanderings  through  the  wilds  of  Michi- 
gan and  Wisconsin,  came  to  reside  on  the  shores  of  Cha- 
gaouamigong'  Bay  and  the  Apostles  Islands,  where  Father 
Allouez  found  them  in  1635. 

To  give  an  idea  of  Father  Menard's  voyage  to  his  Huron 
Mission,  we  will  give  the  description  given  by  another  Mis- 
sionary: "Of  two  difficulties  regularly  met  with,  the  first 
is  that  of  rapids  and  portages;  for  these  abound  in  every 
river  throughout  those  regions.  When  a  person  approaches 
such  cataiacts  or  rapids,  he  has  to  step  ashore  and  carry  on 
his  back,  through  forests  or  over  high,  vexatious  rocks,  not 
only  his  baggai^e,  but  also  the  canoe.  This  is  not  accom- 
plit^hed  without  much  labor;  for  there  are  portages  of  one, 
two  and  three  leagues,  each  of  them,  besides,  requiring  sev- 
eral journeys,  if  one  has  ever  so  small  a  number  of  pack- 
ages. At  some  places,  where  the  lapids  are  not  less  swift  than 
at  the  portages,  but  of  easier  access,  the  Indians,  plunging 
into  the  water,  drag  their  canoes  and  conduct  them  with  their 
hands  with  utmost  difficulty  and  danger;  for  sometimes  they 
are  up  to  their  necks  in  the  current,  so  that  they  have  to  let 
go  their  hold  upon  their  canoes  and  save  themselves  as  best 
they  can  from  the  rapidity  of  the  water,  that  snatches  the 
canoe  out  of  their  hands  and  carries  it  off I  have  com- 
puted the  number  of  portages  and  find  that  we  carried  thirty- 
five  times  and  dragged  at  least  fifty  times.  The  second 
ordinary  difficulty  concerns  food.  A  person  is  often  obliged 
to  fast,  especially  if  he  happens  to  lose  the  places  where  he 
stowed  away  provisions  on  his  down-river  course.      Even 

1.  See  '*  HistorlcaJ  and  biographical  notes."  where  a  short  sketch  of  the 
rise  and  downfall  of  the  Huron  mission  is  given. 

2.  Chagaouamigong,  pronounced  Sha-ta-wa-mi-goag.     To  pronounce  In- 
diau  words,  observe  that 

a  .5  pronounced  like  a  .<n  father,  far. 

e  is  pronounced  like  a  in  way,  say. 

I  is  pronounced  like  ee  in  feel,  seen. 

o  is  pronounced  like  o  in  owa,  sown. 

ou  is  pronounced  like  oo  in  foot,  fool. 

ii'rench  ch  is  pronounced  like  sh  in  she,  show. 

kw  is  pronounced  like  q  in  quoen. 


11 


the 


iged 
e  he 
jven 


when  he  finds  them,  his  aprjetite  remains  none  the  less  keen 
for  having  regaled  himself  with  their  contents,  for  the  usual 
repast  is  only  a  little  corn,  broken  between  two  stones  and 
sometimes  simply  taken  in  fresh  water,  wliich  is  insipid  food. 
Sometimes  he  has  fish,  but  this  is  mere  chance,  unless  he  hap- 
pen to  pass  some  tribe  from  whom  he  can  buy  it.  Add  to  this 
that  a  person  must  sleep  on  the  bare  ground,  perhaps  on  a 
hard  rock — that  be  has  to  breathe  an  air  infected  by  the 
smell  of  labor-worn  savages,  to  walk  in  the  water,  through 
morasses  and  amidst  the  darkness  and  embarrassment  of 
forests,  where  the  stings  of  innumerable  little  flics  and  mos- 
quitoes molest  him  not  a  little." 

Indian  missionary  life  two  hundred  years  ago  was  indeed 
hard.  The  pagan  Indian  treated  the  poor,  defenseless  mis- 
sionary with  inhuman  brutality,  made  him  the  butt  cf  his 
coarse  raillery  and  contempt.  The  missionary  was  com- 
pletely at  the  mercy  of  the  savage  Indian,  and  many  a 
Father,  after  years  of  untold  hardships  and  sufi'erings,  was 
burnt  at  the  stake  or  tomahawked.  Wisconsin  soil  has  been 
watered  with  the  blood  of  two,  perhaps  three,  of  such  apos- 
tolic men^  Nothing  but  long  continued  proofs  of  disinter- 
ested zeal,  sincerity  of  intention  and  purity  of  life,  and  the 
constant  exhibition  of  heaven-born  charity,  imperturbable 
peace  of  mind  and  evangelical  meekness,  joined  with  fearless 
courage  and  apostolical  freedom  of  speech,  could  at  length 
dispel  the  darkness  of  the  Indian  mind — such  as  measured 
the  merit  of  a  man  by  the  breadth  of  his  shoulders  and  the 
number  of  pcalps  hung  up  in  his  wigwam.  A  most  cowardlv 
fear  of  supernatura)  evil  influences,  going  side  by  side  with 
savage  prowess  and  contempt  of  danger  in  war,  and  studi- 
ously kept  alive  by  crafty  medicine-men,  was  not  a  less 
powerful  obstacle  against  the  reception  of  Christianity.  To 
ward  off  those  evil  influences,  the  minutest  attention  to  num- 
berless superstitious  practices  was  considered  indispensable, 
and  those  refusing  to  participate  in  the  national  demon  wor- 
ship were,  as  in  the  days  of  the  Caesars,  held  as  declared 
enemies  of  their  own  kith  and  kin  and  of  the  whole  tribe. 
Adding  the  fact  that  polygamy  was  almost  universally  prac- 
ticed, at  least  among  the  tribes  of  Lake  Superior,  among  the 
Foxes,  Ottawas,  Pottawatamis,  and  other  tribes  of  Wiscon- 


1;: . 


1,    See  "  Hist.  ?nd  blogr.  notes,"  for  a  short  dissertation  on  the  three  mar- 
tyred missionaries  of  Wisconsin. 


\ 


12 

sin  and  Michigan,  it  is  no  wonder  that  such  people  turned  a 
deaf  ear  to  the  teachers  of  a  religion  which  condemned  and 
forbade  their  national  custom.  Besides,  their  mode  of  liv- 
ing, huddled  together  in  email  wigwams,  almost  necessarily- 
engendered  lewdness  and  licentiousness.  Moreover,  their 
limited  range  of  thought  made  their  daily  conversation  gen- 
erally turn  upon  topics  oi  low,  animal  gratifications,  which 
poisoned  the  minds  and  hearts  of  the  young.  Living  free 
and  untrammelled  by  tho  laws  and  customs  of  civilized  and 
Christian  life,  they  felt  sill  restraint  irksome  and  hence  dis- 
liked a  religion  that  bound  them  down  to  the  observance  of 
certain  laws  and  duties  wholly  at  variance  with  their  pagan 
modes  of  life.  Finally,  their  defective  mental  capacity  pre- 
vented them  from  understanding  and  appreciating  the  innate 
beauty  of  virtue,  religion,  and  of  pure,  spiritual,  heavenly 
joys.  The  only  thing  that  could  make  any  impression  on 
their  dark,  pagan  minds,  was  the  threat,  constantly  held  be- 
fore them  by  the  missionary,  of  frightful,  endless  torments 
in  the  fire  of  hell.  This  and  this  alone  could  prevail  on  them 
to  give  up  their  superstitious  and  animal  mode  of  life  and 
embrace  Christianity  with  its  enlightening,  soul-purifying 
and  heavenward  elevating  doctrines.  Even  then  their  child- 
ish ticklemindedness  made  the  ot^Ay  missionaries  very  slow 
and  cautious  in  admitting  them  to  Baptism  Hence  their 
first  Baptisms  were  generally  those  of  little  children,  as  yet 
uncontaminated  by  vice,  aad  the  dying,  whom  they  carefully 
prepared  for  that  holy  Sacrament.  But  let  us  return  to 
Father  Menard  and  his  fellow-laborers  among  the  Hurons. 

After  years  <  »f  patient  lubor  among  that  tribe,  their  per- 
severance was  at  last  re^varded  by  an  abundant  harvest. 
There  was  a  reasonable  hope  that  soon  the  whole  tribe  would 
be  converted,  but  Iroquois  incursions  in  1648  and  1649  broke 
up  the  missions.  Fifteen  towns  were  abandoned,  some  of  the 
Fathers,  as  for  instance  Brebeuf  and  Lallemant\  were  tortured 
and  burnt  at  the  stake.  The  people  who  had  escaped  death  or 
captivity,  fied  in  every  direction,  some  to  the  kindred  Tionon- 
tates,  Attiwarandonk  and  Eries,  whilst  others  sought  refuge 
among  their  Algonquin  friends  on  Lake  Huron  and  Superior, 

Up  to  that  time  Father  Menard  had  been  employed 
partly  in  the  Huron  mission,  partly  among  the  Algonquin 

1.    See  "  His.  and  blogr.  notes  "  for  a  detailed  account  of  tlie  glorious 
martyrdom  of  these  two  lathers. 


13 

tribes,  especially  the  Nipissing  and  Atontrates.  After  the 
ruin  of  the  Huron  missions  he  labored  chiefly  in  the  Indian 
and  French  settlements  at  Three  Rivers.  Seven  years  later 
an  extremely  hazardous  mission  was  started  among  the  Iro- 
quois, who  feigned  a  desire  for  peace  and  Menard  was  one  of 
tne  Fathers  sent  there.  He  reached  the  south  sliore  of  Lake 
Ontario  in  July,  1656,  and  before  the  end  of  the  year  he  col- 
lected around  him  on  Lake  Cayuga,  a  small  flock  of  Chris- 
tians, consisting  chiefly  of  Huron  captives.  His  gentle  ways 
and  almost  motherly  kindness  made  him  greatly  beloved  by 
the  numerous  prisoners  of  war,  swept  together  from  among 
a  score  of  different  Indian  tribes  and  kept  as  slaves  in  the 
Iroquois  country.  Misfortune  had  soi'tened  their  hearts  and 
made  them  accessible  to  the  tidings  of  salvation.  Even  the 
fierce  Iroquois  felt  the  mild  but  potent  influence  of  this  holy 
missionary's  zeal  and  many  of  them  were  baptized.  In  a 
short,  time  he  converted  and  baptized  there  some  four  hundred 
Indians.  A  letter  of  his  written  about  a  year  after  the  o  pen- 
ing  of  the  Cayuga  mission  reveals  to  us  his  ardent  and  fear- 
less zeal.     He  writes:^ 

"  T  praise  God  that  your  Reverence  still  takes  an  interest 
in  our  affairs;  but  I  am  a  little  suprised  to  hear  you  speak 
in  a  tone  different  from  that  to  which  we  were  accustomed. 
How  long  ago  is  it  since  you  wrote  we  had  nothing  to  fear,, 
that  God  cont'nued  sending  you  wherewith  to  support  ub 
in  this  remote  corner  of  the  world  ?  How  is  it  that  you  now 
complain  of  our  too  great  expenses  ?  We  are  in  a  place 
where  the  cost  of  living  is  very  much  greater  than  among 
the  Hurons,  and  where  we  have  no  assistance  to  expect  fi'om 
the  country  itself,  among  false  traitors,  who  ill-treat  us  by 
right  of  prescription.  There  is  a  crowd  of  captives  here, 
gathered  from  all  sides,  who  after  all  are  capable  of  being 
made  children  of  God.  Of  these  I  alone  have  since  last  jear 
baptized  more  than  four  hundred.  We  walk  with  our  heads 
lifted  up  in  the  midst  of  dangers,  through  insults,  hootings, 
calumnies,  tomahawks  and  kniveSj  with  which  they  often  enough 
run  after  us,  to  put  U9  to  death.  Almost  daily  we  are  on  the 
eve  of  being  massacred,  "  as  dying  and  behold  we  live." 
And  you  tell  us  that  you  are  no  more  able  to  support  this 
mission.    I  prefer,  my  Rev.  Father,  to  stand  by  the  last  words 

1.  "Relation"  of  1657.  p.  56.  We  cite  from  tlie  Quebec  edition  of  1858, 
which  is  a  reprint  of  the  edition  of  Sebastian  Cramolsy,  Paris,  1657-1678. 


14 

of  your  letter,  where  you  remark  that  after  all,  if  we  do  our 
part  well,  God  will  do  His  as  far  as  will  be  needed.  Yes,  as- 
suredly, He  will  succor  us,  if  we  seek  but  His  glory,  if  we 
expose  our  lives  to  have  His  blood  applied  to  those  poor, 
abandoned  souls.  This  verv  thing  all  our  Fathers  here  are 
doing  with  incredible  trouble  and  labor.  Should  God,  who 
led  us  into  this  land  of  barbarians,  allow  us  to  be  slaughtered, 
praise  be  to  Him  for  ever  !  Jesus,  His  Gospel,  the  salvation 
of  those  poor  souls,  these  are  the  inducements  that  retain  us 
here  and  make  us  tarry,  as  it  were,  in  the  midst  of  flames. 
Men  burnt  and  devoured  are  sights  to  which  our  eyes  are  accustomed. 
Pray  you  to  God,  that  He  may  make  Christians  of  those 
cannibals,  and  that  He  may  strengthen  us  more  and  more; 
and  we,  we  shall  beg  Him  to  move  the  hearts  of  those  who 
love  Him,  so  that  they  may  enable  you  to  assist  us."  Thus 
wrote  this  saintly  man  to  his  Superior  in  Quebec. 

The  time  for  the  spiritual  regeneration  of  the  Iroquois  Na- 
tion had  not  yet  come.  The  tomahawk,  treacherously  buried 
for  a  while,  to  draw  a  number  of  Huron  fugitives  and  of 
French  laymen,  as  well  as  priests,  into  the  country,  was 
raised  again  in  the  spring  of  1658.  Only  stratagem  and  secret 
flight,  most  skillfully  planned  and  luckily  accomplished, 
could  save  the  lives  of  Hfty-three  Frenchmen,  by  the  council 
of  the  headmen  condemned  to  death  in  the  heart  of  the  Iro- 
quois country.  With  a  bleeding  heart  Father  Menard  left 
\.  ith  the  rest  in  the  silence  of  the  night.  Far  sooner  would 
he  have  stayed  with  his  neophytes,  and,  if  necessary,  have 
suffered  death  at  his  post.  He  felt  as  if  his  heart  had  been 
torn  out  of  his  body,  or  as  a  mother  violently  torn  away  from 
her  children;  but  obedience  called  him  away,  and  so  he  de- 

Earted  with  t^e  rest.  Two  years  later  we  see  him  go  to  the 
ake  Superior  country,  where  he  perished  in  the  wilds  of 
Wisconsin,  trying  to  bring  the  consolations  of  religion  to  a 
few  starving  Hurons  at  the  headwaters  of  Black  River. 

The  first  attempt  to  carry  the  gospel  to  Lake  Superior 
country  was  r^ade  in  1642  by  Raymbault  and  Jogues*.  They 
reached  Sault  Ste.  Marie  and  were  well  received  by  the  two 
thousand  Indians  assembled  there.  But  obedience  compelled 
them  to  rtturn  to  the  lower  missions,  where  then-  services 
were  deemed  indisper  sable.    Again  in  1656,  Fathers  Garreau 

1.    See  "Hist,  and  bioR.  notes"  for  a  detailed  account  of  his  labors,  suf- 
ferings and  death. 


15 


fe 


and  Gabriel  Drouillettes  embarked  with  an  Ottawa  party,  but 
having  fallen  into  an  Iroquois  ambush,  between  Three  Rivers 
and  Montreal,  Garreau  was  mortally  wounded  by  a  Mohawk 
ball  ^^nd  Drouillettes  abandoned  by  the  Cttawae  in  their  pre- 
cipitate flight. 

In  1660  another  Ottawa  flotilla  of  sixty  canoes  arrived  at 
Three  Rivers.  Two  Fathers  attempted  to  accompany  them 
on  their  return  voyage.  One  of  them,  however,  only  suc- 
ceeded, namely,  Father  Menard.  The  other  Father  was  un- 
ceremoniously set  ashore  at  Montreal.  Before  starting  from 
Three  Rivers,  Father  Menard  penned,  in  the  dead  hour  of 
night,  the  following  lines  to  a  reverend  friend: 

"My  Rev.  Father,  —  The  Peace  of  Christ  I 

I  write  to  you  probably  th^  last  word  and  I  desire  it  to  be 
the  seal  of  our  friendship  until  eternity.  Love  him,  whom 
the  Lord  Jesus  does  not  disdain  to  love,  although  the  greatest 
sinner;  for  he  loves  him  with  whom  he  deigns  to  share  his 
cross.  May  your  friendship,  my  good  Father,  be  useful  to 
me  in  the  desirable  fruits  of  your  holy  sacriflces.  In  three  or 
four  months  you  may  put  me  in  the  memento  of  the  dead, 
considering  the  manner  of  living  of  these  people,  and  my  age 
and  weak  constitution.  Notwithstanding  all  this,  I  have 
felt  such  a  powerful  attraction  and  have  seen  so  little  of  nature 
in  this  undertaking,  that  I  could  not  doubt  but  that  I  would 
have  had  eternal  remorse,  had  I  missed  this  opportunity. 

"  We  were  taken  a  little  by  surprise,  so  that  we  are  unable 
to  provide  ourselves  with  clothing  and  other  necessary  things. 
But  He  who  feeds  the  little  birds  and  clothes  the  lilies  of  the 
fields,  will  take  care  of  his  servants.  Should  we  happen  to 
die  of  misery,  that  would  be  for  us  a  great  happiness.  I  am 
overwhelmed  with  business.  All  I  can  do  is  to  recommend 
our  voyage  to  your  holy  Sacrifices,  and  to  embrace  you  with 
the  same  heart  as  I  hope  to  do  in  eternity. 

My  Rev.  Father— Your  very  humble  and  afiectionate 
servant  of  Jesus  Christ,  R.  Menard. 

Three  Rivers,  this  27th  day  of  August,  at  2  o'clock  after 
midnight,  1660."^ 

The  Ottawa  flotilla,  and  with  it  Father  Menard,  left  Three 
Rivers  on  the  28th  of  August.  How  he  fared  on  his  voyage 
to  Lake  Superior  is  best  learned  from  a  letter  which  he  wrote 

1.    "Relation"  of  1660,  p.  30. 


I 


16 


from  Keweenaw  Bay,  Mich.,  to  his  superior  in  Quebec,  a  ^bw 
months  before  his  death  in  the  wild  woods  of  Wisconsin.  He 
writes  as  follows:^ 

"  Our  journey  has  been  a  happy  one  for  our  Frenchmen, 
who  all  arrived  in  good  health,  about  the  middle  of  October, 
not,  however,  without  having  suffered  milch  and  run  great 
risks  from  high  seas  on  the  lakes;  from  rapids  and  cataracts 
frightful  to  behold,  which  we  had  to  pass  over  on  a  frail  piece 
of  bark;  from  starvation,  our  almost  constant  companion, 
and  from  the  Iroquois  arms  that  were  turned  against  us.  Be- 
tween Three  Rivers  and  Montreal  we  happily  met  his  Lord- 
ship, the  Bishop  of  Petrea  (Laval,  first  Bishop  of  Quebec), 
who  spoke  words  to  me  ivhich  deeply  entered  my  heart  and 
will  be  a  subject  of  consolation  to  me  in  any  adverse  accidents 
that  may  befall  me.  'Father,'  he  said,  'every  consideration 
seems  to  demand  your  staying  here;  but  God,  who  is  stronger 
than  all,  wants  you  in  those  parts.'  0  I  how  I  blessed  God 
since  that  meeting,  and  how  sweetly  have  those  words,  spoken 
by  so  holy  a  prelate,  come  home  to  me  in  the  worst  of  my 
sufferings,  misery  and  abandonment !  God  wants  me  in 
those  parts  1  How  often  have  I  revolved  those  words 
mind  amidst  the  torrent's  roar  and  in  the  solitude 
great  fbrests  I 

"  The  Indians,  who  granted  me  a  ])assage,  with  the 
ance  of  fair  treatment,  considering  my  age  (he  was  then  fifty- 
six  years  old)  and  infirmities,  have  after  all  not  spared  me. 
They  required  me  to  carry  on  my  shoulders  very  heavy  packs 
every  time,  or  nearly  so,  when  we  had  to  make  a  portage, 
and  although  my  paddle,  wielded  by  hands  as  feeble  as  mine, 
did  but  little  service  towards  hastening  the  journey,  they 
would  not  allow  it  to  be  idle"  (They  did  not  even  allow  him 
time  to  say  his  office  and  threw  his  breviary  into  the  water; 
luckily  he  found  another  copy,  stowed  away  at  his  sudden 
departure  in  one  of  the  packages.  Perhaps  they  shared  the 
superstitious  fear  of  the  pagan  Hurons,  who  considered  the 
mysterious  procedure  of  passing  the  eyes  over  curiously 
dotted  paper  as  a  mighfy  charm  for  their  destruction. ) 

The  Father  continues:  "Once  they  obliged  me  to  disem- 
bark on  a  very  bad  spot.  To  overtake  them  I  had  to  make 
my  way  over  frightful  rocks  and  precipices.    So  much  was 

1.    "Relation"  of  1664,  p.  2. 


in  my 
of  our 


assur- 


17 


the  country  intersected  with  ravines  and  so  steep  were  the 
mountains,  that  I  thought  I  should  never  extricate  myself. 
Hastening  my  steps,  for  fear  of  being  left  behind,  I  hurt  my 
foot  and  leg.  They  remained  swollen  and  annoyed  me  very 
much  for  the  rest  of  the  journey,  especially  when  the  water 
commenced  to  become  cold,  we  being  obliged  to  remain  bare- 
foot and  ready  to  jump  into  the  water,  in  order  to  lighten 
the  canoe,  whenever  tney  judged  it  proper.  Add  to  this, 
that  those  people  obser^^e  no  regularity  in  their  meals,  eating 
everything  at  once  and  making  no  provision  for  the  morrow. 
As  for  their  camping,  no  attention  is  paid  to  their  own  or 
their  guest's  comfort,  but  only  to  the  security  of  the  canoes 
and  to  the  facility  for  embarkment  and  disembarkment.  As 
for  rest,  they  generally  sleej)  on  uneven,  rocky  ground, 
on  which  they  spread  a  few  branches,  if  at  hand. 

"  We  have  everyone  of  us  kept  fast,  and  that  a  rigorous  one, 
having  to  content  ourselves  with  small  fruits,  which  are  ot 
rare  occurrence,  and  such  as  nowhere  else  are  eaten.  H5,ppy 
those  who  find  a  certain  kind  of  moss  (tripe  de  roche)  whicn 
grows  on  rocks  and  of  which  they  make  a  black  broth.  As 
for  moose-skins,  those  who  had  some  left,  ate  them  stealthily. 
Everything  seems  palatable,  when  a  person  is  hungry. 

"  But  the  worst  was  to  come.  Having  after  such  hard- 
ships entered  Lake  Superior,  there,  in  place  of  finding  the 
promised  rest  and  provisions,  our  canoe  was  smashed  by  a 
falling  tree  and  that  so  c()n)pletely,  that  no  hope  of  repairing 
it  was  left.  Everyone  abandoned  us  and  we  were  left— three 
Indians  and  myself — without  food  and  canoe.  In  that  state 
we  remainid  six  days,  living  on  filthy  offal,  which,  to  keep  off 
starvation,  we  had  to  scratch  up  with  our  nails  around  an 
old  abandoned  lodge.  To  make  soup  we  pounded  the  bones 
that  lay  about.  We  picked  up  earth  saturated  with  the 
blood  of  animals  that  had  been  killed  there  ;  in  a  word,  we 
made  food  of  everything.  One  of  us  was  continually  on  the 
lookout  at  the  shore,  to  implore  the  mercy  of  those  that 
passed  by,  and  we  wrested  from  them  a  few  slices  of  dried 
meat,  which  saved  us  from  death.  At  last  some,  more  com- 
passionate, took  us  up  and  brought  us  to  our  rallying  poiiit, 
destined  for  our  wintering.  This  is  a  large  bay^  on  the  south 
shore  of  Lake  Superior  (Keweenaw  Bay),  where  I  arrived  on 


r 


1.    See  "Hist,  and  biosr.  no\/e8"  tor  a  short  dissertation  on  St.  Theresa  Bay 
And  the  site  of  Father  Menard's  mission. 


i»  f 


18 

St.  Theresa's  day  (Oct.  15th,  1660)  and  here  I  had  the  con- 
solation of  saying  Mass,  which  repaid  me  with  usury  for  all 
my  past  hardships.  Here  also  I  opened  a  "  flying  church  " 
of  Cnristian  Indians,  occasional  visitors  from  the  neighbor- 
hood of  our  French  settlements  (on  the  St.  Lawrence)  and  of 
such  others  as  the  mercy  of  God  has  gathered  in  from  this- 
place."  • 


CHAPTER  II. 


-i 


Father  Menard's  Labors  at  St.  Theresa  Bay. 

The  Father  writes:  *"  One  of  my  first  visits  was  to  a  miser- 
able hut  under  a  large  rotten  tree,  which  served  it  as  a  shelter 
on  the  one  side  and  as  a  support  to  some  spruce  branches  to 
keep  off  the  wind.  I  entered  on  the  other  side,  crawling  on 
my  belly,  and  found  there  a  treasure:  it  was  a  woman  aban- 
doned by  her  husband  and  daughter,  who  had  left  to  her  two 
little  children  in  a  dying  condition;  one  of  them  was  about 
two  years  old,  the  other  three.  I  spoke  to  this  poor,  afflicted 
creature,  and  she  listened  to  me  with  pleasure.  "My  brother,'* 
said  she  to  me,  "  I  know  well  enough  that  my  people  disap- 
prove of  your  discourses,  but,  as  for  me,  I  relish  them  very 
much;  what  you  tell  me  is  full  of  consolation."  Then  she 
drew  forth  from  under  the  tree  a  piece  of  dried  fish,  which 
she  took,  so  to  say,  irom  her  own  mouth  to  pay  me  for  my 
visit.  I  thanked  her  and  made  use  of  this  favorable  occasion 
to  a  jsure  myself  of  the  salvation  of  those  two  children  by 
conferring  on  them  holy  Baptism. 

"  Some  time  after  I  returned  to  this  good  creature  and 
found  her  full  of  determination  to  serve  God,  and,  in  fact, 
from  that  day  she  began  to  come  to  prayers  night  and  morning 
and  that  so  steadily  that  she  did  not  fail  even  once,  no  mat- 
ter what  work  or  occupation  she  might  have  on  hand  to 
make  her  living.  The  younger  of  the  two  children  did  not 
delay  long  to  give  to  heaven  the  first  fruits  of  this  mission, 
having  gone  there  after  practicing,  child  as  he  was,  some  ex- 
ercise of  Christianity  during  the  short  time  that  he  outlived 
his  Baptism;  for,  having  noticed  that  his  grandmother  prayed 

1.    '♦Relation"  of  1664,  p.  3  tt  seq. 


19 

to  God  before  eating,  he  began  himsell  to  put  his  little  hand 
to  his  forehead  to  make  the  sign  of  the  cross  before  eating- 
and  drinking,  which  practice  he  kept  up  until  the  last,  a  very 
rare  thing  for  an  Indian  child  not  yet  two  years  old. 

"  The  second  person  who  seems  to  have  been  predestined 
for  Paradise,  is  a  young  man  of  about  thirty  years,  who  was- 
a  subject  of  wonder  to  our  Indians  since  a  long  time  by 
re'^son  of  a  resoluteness  unknown  among  them,  which  made 
him  resist  pU  temptations  of  the  spirit  of  impurity  which 
are  here  as  frequent  as  anywhere  else  in  the  world.  He 
spoke  to  me  several  times  during  our  voyage,  and  showed  a 
great  desire  to  become  a  Christian.  But  when  I  learned 
that  he  was  not  married,  I  persuaded  myself  that  he  was 
more  deeply  plunged  in  sin  than  those  who  are  married.  I 
found  out  here  that  he  had  always  conducted  himself  very 

Eroperly  and  that  no  one  had  ever  been  able  to  draw  out  of 
is  mouth  a  single  impure  word.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
who  came  to  find  me  as  soon  as  I  had  withdrawn  to  a  little 
hermitage,  a  poor  cabin  made  of  fir-tree  branches  laid  upon 
one  another,  not  so  much  to  defend  me  from  the  rigors  of 
the  season  as  to  set  my  imagination  aright  and  to  make  m& 
believe  that  I  was  under  cover.  This  young  man  having 
entered  there,  I  asked  him,  after  several  pleasant  conversations, 
how  it  was  that  he  was  not  married,  and  whether  he  meant 
in  real  earnest  to  remain  in  that  state.  "  My  Father,"  said 
he,  "I  am  resolved  not  to  live  after  the  way  of  our  people^ 
nor  to  unite  myself  to  a  woman,  who  abandons  herself  to 
vice  as  all  others  of  this  country  do.  If  I  do  not  find  an  in- 
nocent and  chaste  woman,  I  will  never  take  any,  and  I  am 
satisfied  to  remain  with  my  brother  for  the  rest  of  my  life. 
For  the  rest,  if  you  should  notice  that  I  act  otherwise  than  I 
am  telling  you,  you  may  exclude  me  from  prayer  "  (from 
becoming  a  Christian).  This  firm  resoluteness,  joined  with 
the  urgent  request,  he  made  to  be  admitted  among  the 
Christians,  obliged  me  to  grant  him  holy  Baptism,  at  which 
I  gave  him  the  name  of  Louis.  Afterwards  I  have  noticed 
that  God  has  taken  possession  of  his  heart,  as  he  showed* on 
all  occasions.  Once  this  winter  a  very  impure  feast  was  got 
up  by  order  of  the  medicine-men,  in  order  to  banish  a 
desperate  sickness.  Louis  was  begged  and  most  pressingly 
urged  to  be  present,  to  fill  the  number  appointed  for  that  in- 
famous ceremony.    He  refused,  and  as  all  his  relatives  urged 


C' 


;  \ 


20 


him  and  quarreled  with  him  to  prevail  on  him  to  go  there, 
he  arose,  and  going  out  of  one  door  of  the  wigwam,  he  re- 
mained somewhere  for  a  time  to  pray,  then  entering  again 
by  another  door,  he  was  made  the  laughing  stock  of  all  and 
incurred  the  indignation  of  his  relatives.  As  he  is  uniqv.e  in 
his  way  of  living,  he  has  to  put  up  with  a  thousand  little 
affronts  from  all  quarters,  to  which,  thanks  be  to  God,  he 
has  already  grown  accustomed,  repaying  with  a  smile  all  the 
railleries  heaped  upon  him,  without  shrhiking  or  relaxing  in 
a  single  point  from  the  duties  of  a  good  Christian.  Bar- 
barism here  has  never  witnessed  courage  of  such  a  stamp. 

"  The  third  chosen  soul  found  is  the  eldest  sister  of  our 
Louis:  a  poor  widow  burdened  with  five  children,  a  peace- 
able woman,  busy  all  day  long  with  her  household  affairs. 
She  brought  to  me  the  oldest  of  her  children,  a  girl  sixteen 
years  of  age,  to  be  instructed  in  order,  as  she  said,  that  God 
might  have  compassion  on  her  daughter  and  restore  her  to 
health,  which  she  had  lost  since  some  months.  The  child 
had  a  continual  cough,  which  choked   her  voice  and  de- 

E rived  her  of  speech.  I  made  her  pray  to  God,  and  then 
ad  her  bled,  which  rfstored  her  voice.  After  this  the 
mother  came  to  offer  me  all  her  children  for  instruction, 
God  disposing  all  for  the  salvation  of  his  elect.  I  put  their 
piety  to  a  good  trial,  and  finding  them  resolute  and  well  pre- 
pared for  Baptism.  I  conferred  it  at  the  same  time  upon  the 
mother  and  her  children,  who  henceforth  are  very  grateful  to 
God  for  the  grace  which  they  have  received,  and  they  have 
been  very  good  to  me,  having  contributed  a  great  deal 
towards  my  support  by  their  charitable  donations. 

"  The  fourth  whom  God  has  given  me,  is  a  poor,  old  man, 
who  was  extremely  sick  at  Three  Rivers  last  year,  and  whom 
I  could  not  get  to  talk  to  on  account  of  the  medicine-men, 
who  were  continually  about  him.  Thir^  good  man,  in  regard 
to  whom  God  has  his  designo,  was  not  then  yet  ripe  for 
heaven.  The  misfortune  that  happened  to  him  on  his 
voyage  has  humbled  him  very  much,  for  a  squall  of  wind 
having  overtaken  him  on  Lake  Superior,  in  saving  his  life, 
he  lost  all  he  had  collect  3d  at  Three  Rivers.  As  old  age  and 
poverty  are  in  great  contempt  with  the  Indians,  he  saw  him- 
self obliged  to  withdraw  to  our  cabin,  where,  at  first  having 
rallied  at  our  mysteries,  God  inspired  me  so  well  when  re- 
buking his  audacity  and  speaking  to  his  heart  that,  giving 


21 

place  to  grace  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  he  came  to  see  me  the 
next  day,  in  order  to  ask  to  be  allowed  to  pray  to  God  (to 
become  a  Christian)  Since  then  he  has  practiced  prayer  so 
openlv,  fervently  and  resolutely,  that  I  could  not  reluse  him 
holy  Baptism.  He  continues  to  render  himself  worthy  of 
this  favor,  making  public  profession  before  his  countrymen, 
who  are  all  pagans,  of  being  a  disciple  of  Jesus  Christ. 

"As  to  the  other  Christians  who  compose  this  church,  they 
are  few  in  number,  but  chosen,  and  they  give  me  much  satis- 
faction. I  did  not  like  to  admit  a  great  number,  contenting 
myself  with  such  as  I  judged  would  persevere  in  the  faith 
during  my  absence  ;  for  I  do  not  know  what  will  become  of 
me,  nor  to  which  side  I  will  go.  However,  I  should  have  to 
do  great  violence  to  myself  if  I  had  to  come  down  from  the 
cross  which  God  has  prepared  for  me  in  this  extremity  of  the 
world  in  my  old  days.  Not  a  single  pulsation  of  my  heart  is 
for  returning  to  Three  Rivers.  I  do  not  know  of  what  nature 
are  the  nails,  which  hold  me  attached  to  this  holy  wood  ;  but 
the  mere  thought  that  anybody  should  come  to  detach  me 
from  it  makes  me  shudder,  and  very  often  I  start  up  out  of  my 
sleep  with  the  thought  that  there  is  no  Outaouak  for  me  and 
that  my  sins  put  me  back  to  the  same  place,  whence  the  mercy 
of  my  God  has  drawn  me  by  a  singular  favor.  I  can  say  with 
truth  that  I  have  more  consolation  here  in  one  day,  notwith- 
standing hunger,  cold,  and  other  almost  inexplicable  hard- 
ships, than  I  have  had  in  all  my  life,  whatever  place  in  the 
world  I  have  been.  I  have  often  heard  Father  DanieP  and 
Father  Charles  Gamier  say  that  the  more  they  saw  themselves 
abandoned  and  deprived  of  human  consolations,  the  more 
God  took  possession  of  their  heart  and  made  them  experience 
how  much  His  holy  grace  is  superior  to  all  imaginable  sweet- 
ness found  among  creatures.  The  consolation  which  it  pleased 
God  to  give  me  here  has  caused  me  to  avow  this  secret  and 
made  me  value  the  good  there  is  in  finding  myself  here  alone 
among  our  savages,  five  hundred  leagues  from  our  French 
settlements." 

These  are  the  last  words  with  which  the  Father  concludes 
his  (two)  letters,  which  he  thus  dates :  'Among  the  Outaouak 
at  St.  Theresa  Bay,  one  hu  .dred  leagues  above  the  Sault,  in 

1.    See  " Hist,  and  Biogr.  Notes"  for  a descriptlcn  of, the  glorious  martyr- 
dom of  both  these  Fathers. 


! 


22 

Lake  Superior,  the  Ist  day  of  March,  and  the  second  of  July, 
1661.' 

Whilst  sojourning  at  St.  Theresa  { Keweenaw  Bay)  he  heard 
the  Indians  frequently  converse  ahout  four  powerful  tribes, 
living  at  a  distance  of  two  or  three  hundred  leagues.     They 

Erobably  meant  the  Sioux,  who  are  divided  into  several 
ranches,  possibly  also  the  Illinois  to  the  south.  Tho  country 
to  be  traveled  is  described  as  "  an  almost  continual  series  of 
Bwamps,  in  which  soundings  had  to  be  taken,  lest  one  might 
get  himself  inextricably  engulfed.  Moreover,  a  full  supply 
of  provisions  had  to  be  carried  along,  for  the  traveler,  winding 
his  way  through  dense  swarms  of  mosquitoes,  could  not  find 
anywhere  in  those  dismal  regions  means  of  living," 

Towards  those  distant  pagan  tribes  the  heart  of  the  mis- 
eionary  was  yearning,  and  however  doubtful  the  prospect  of 
reaching  them  appeared,  he  already  began  to  lay  aside,  what- 
ever he  could  spare  of  his  scanty  fare. 

"  It  is  my  hope,"  so  he  writes  himself,  "  to  die  on  the  way. 
But,  having  pushed  so  far,  and  being  full  of  health,  I  shall 
do  what  is  possible  to  reach  them.  I  hope  I  shall  be  able  to 
throw  myself  among  some  Indians,  who  intend  to  make  that 
journey.  God  will  dispose  of  us  according  to  his  good  pleas- 
ure for  his  greater  glory,  either  for  death  or  life.  It  will  be  a 
great  mercy  on  the  part  of  our  loving  God,  if  He  calls  me  to 
Himself  in  so  good  a  place."  With  these  prophetic  words 
Father  Menard  concludes  his  last  letter,  dated  from  St.  The- 
resa Bay,  July  2d,  1661. 

In  the  next  chapter  we  shall  give  the  account  of  his  suffer- 
ings and  labors  at  said  bay,  and  of  his  last  journey  to  the 
headwaters  of  Black  River  in  Wisconsin,  where  he  ended  his 
apostolic  career,  either  by  starvation,  or  what  is  very  prob- 
able, by  the  tomahawk  of  some  roving  Indian. 

The  reader  will  excuse  us  for  making  here  a  slight  digres- 
sion. It  is  stated  above  that  in  August,  1660,  an  Ottawa  flotilla 
of  sixty  canoes  with  300  men  arrived  at  Three  Rivers.  This 
flotilla  was  conducted  by  two  adventurous  Frenchmen,*  in  all 
probability,  the  first  white  men  who  navigated  Lake  Superior,  and 
PERHAPS  also  the  first,  who  gazed  on  the  limpid  waters  oj  the  Upper 
Mississippi. 

1  See  "Historical  and  Biographical  Notes"  for  a  detailed  as.-^ount  of  these 
two  men's  sojourn  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Superior,  and  their  travels  among 
the  Indian  tribes  of  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota. 


23 


Jerome  Lallemant,  then  Superior  of  the  Jeeuite  in  Canada 
and  author  of  the  "  lielation"  of  1660,  writes  as  follows  : 

"  Hardly  at  home  in  Quebec  (from  Tadoussac)  I  found  two 
Frenchmen  just  arrived  Irom  those  upper  countries  with  three 
hundred  Algonquins,  in  sixty  canoes  laden  with  furs  This 
is  what  they  have  seen  with  their  own  eyes,  and  what  affords 
us  an  idea  of  the  state  of  the  western  Algonquins,  having  thus 
far  spoken  of  those  in  the  north. 

"They  have  spent  the  winter  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Supe- 
rior, and  v/ere  happy  enough  to  baptize  two  hundred  little 
children  of  the  Algonquin  tribe,  where  they  were  first  living. 
Those  children  suffered  from  disease  and  starvation  ;  forty  of 
them  have  gone  straight  to  heaven,  as  they  died  shortly  after 
Baptism. 

"In  the  course  of  the  winter  our  two  Frenchmen  made 
-several  excursions  among  the  neighboring  nations.  Among 
other  things  they  found,  at  six  days'  journey  from  Lake 
Superior  towards  the  south-west,  a  people  composed  of  the 
remnants  of  the  Petuns,  a  Huron  trioe,  who  had  been  forced 
by  the  Iroquois  to  leave  their  home  and  penetrate  so  far  into 
the  woods  that  they  could  not  be  discovered  by  their 
enemies.  These  poor  people,  wandering  on  their  flight 
through  great  and  unknown  forests,  over  mountains  and 
rocks,  happily  struck  a  fine  river,  great,  broad,  deep,  and 
comparable,  they  say,  to  our  great  St.  Lawrence  (the  Missis- 
sippi). Up  the  shores  of  that  river  they  found  the  great 
nation  of  the  Abimiwec  (a  misprint  for  Aliniouek,  Illinois) 
who  received  them  well.  This  nation  is  composed  of  sixty 
towns,  which  confirms  the  knowledge  we  already  had  of 
thousands  of  people  that  fill  those  westerly  countries. 

"  But  to  return  to  our  Frenchmen.  Proceeding  on  thnr 
roundabout  march,  they  were  much  surprised  when,  on 
visiting  the  Nadwechiwea  (Nadouessioux,  Sioux),  they  saw 
women  disfigured  by  having  their  nose  cut  oM  as  far  as  the 
bridge,  so  that  in  this  part  of  the  face  they  resembled  a 
death's  head.  Besides,  on  the  top  of  their  head  a  round 
piece  of  scalp  was  torn  off.  Having  asked  for  the  reason  of 
such  bad  treatment,  they  learned,  with  wonder,  it  was  the 
law  of  the  country  that  inflicted  this  penalty  on  all  adulterous 
wives,  in  o  der  that  they  might  bear  the  punishment  and 
ahame  of  their  sin  on  their  very  countenance. 

"  Our  Frenchmen  visited  the  forty  towns,  which  form  that 


* 

f 

f 

r 
? 

f 

id 
k 

t    . 

^  ■   ; 

t< 

^■" 

*-■-  -- 

1*     . 
L,.  •  t 

f 

i  .J.  j 

1  1 

24 

nation,  in  five  of  which  tney  counted  as  many  as  5,000  men. 
But  we  must  take  leave  of  this  people,  tnough  quite  un- 
ceremoniously, in  order  to  entei*  upon  the  grounds  of  another 
warlike  nation,  which,  with  its  bows  and  arrows,  has  made 
itself  as  formidable  among  the  Upper  Algonquins  as  the 
lioquois  are  among  the  Lower,  whence  they  are  called 
BwalakS  that  is:  warriors.  As  timber  is  scarce  and  of  small 
growth  in  their  country,  nature  has  informed  them  how  to 
make  fire  with  mineral  coal  and  to  cover  their  huts.  Some, 
more  industrious,  make  themselves  dwellings  of  clay,  in  a 
manner  as  swallows  build  their  nests ;  and  beneath  those 
hides  and  under  that  mud  they  would  sleep  as  quietly  as  the 
great  ones  of  the  world  under  their  golden  ceilings,  was  it 
not  for  the  lear  of  the  Iroquois,  who,  in  search  of  them, 
travel  over  a  distance  of  500  and  600  leagues." 


CHAPTER  III. 


Continuation  of  Father  Menard's  Labors  and  Sufferings 
AT  St.  Theresa  Bay;  His  Death  at  the  Headwaters 
of  Black  River. 

We  shall  give  the  particulars  of  Father  Menard's  journey 
to  the  Hurons,  on  Black  River,  Wisconsin,  and  his  death,  as 
we  find  them  in  the  "  Relation  "  of  1663. 

"We  are  going  to  behold  a  poor  missionary,  worr  out  by 
apostolic  labors,  in  which  his  hairs  have  grown  white,  loaded 
with  years  and  infirmities,  exhausted  by  a  rough  and  painful 
journey,  horrible-looking  from  sweat  and  blood,  dying  en- 
tirely alone  in  the  depths  of  the  forests,  five  hundred  leagues 
from  Quebec,  abandoned  as  a  prey  to  carnivoroua  animals,  to 
starvation  and  all  miseries,  and  who,  according  to  his  wishes 
and  even  according  to  his  prophecy,  imitates  in  his  death  the 
abandonment  of  St.  Francis  Xavier,  whose  zeal  'x  has  per- 
fectly imitated  during  life.  We  mean  Father  Menard,  who 
for  more  than  twenty  years  has  labored  in  these  rou^h  mis- 
sions, where  finally,  having  got  lost  in  the  woods  whilst  run- 
ning after  the  lost  sheep,  he  has  happily  ended  his  apostolate 
by  the  loss  of  his  strength,  health,  and  life.     It  was  not  the 

1.    "Relation"  of  1680,  pp.  12, 18. 


m 


\\ 


25 

will  of  Heaven  tliat  any  one  of  us  should  receive  his  last 
Bighs;  it  is  only  the  forest  that  are  the  depositaries  thereof,  or 
Bome  cavity  in  a  rock,  into  which,  perhaps,  he  hetook  him- 
■elf;  these  are  the  only  witnesses  of  the  last  outpourings  of 
love,  which  this  heart  all  inflamed  sent  forth  to  Heaven  wilh 
his  soul,  at  a  time  wh*^n  he  was  actually  running  to  the  con- 
quest of  souls. 

This  is  the  little  we  have  learned  concerning  his  death, 
from  a  letter  from  Montreal,  under  date  of  the  26th  of  July, 
1663.  "  Yesterday  the  good  God  brought  us  thirty-five 
canoes  of  Outaouak,  with  whom  seven  of  the  nine  Frenchmen 
returned.  The  other  two,  who  are  Father  Rene  Menard  and 
his  faithful  companion,  Jean  Guerin,  have  gone  elsewhere  to 
meet  sooner  than  the  others  at  the  sure  harbor  of  our  com- 
mon fatherland.  It  is  two  years  since  the  Father  died  and 
six  months  or  thereabouts,  since  the  death  of  Jean  Guerin." 

The  poor  Father  and  the  eight  Frenchmen,  his  companions, 
started  from  Three  Rivers,  on  the  28th  of  J.  r.gust,  1660,  with 
the  Outaouak.  They  arrived  in  the  Outaouak  country  on 
the  15th  of  October,  day  of  St.  Theresa.  On  their  way  they 
Buffered  inexplicable  hardships,  bad  treatment  from  the 
Indian  boatmen,  inhuman  wretches,  and  an  extreme  want  of 
all  things  to  live  on,  so  much  so  that  the  Father  could  scarcely 
stand  up,  being  moreover  of  a  feeble  constitution  and  broken 
down  by  hardships.  But,  as  a  person  may  yet  go  very  far 
after  being  tired,  so  he  had  sufficient  strength  to  get  to  the 
wigwams  of  his  hosts.  One  named  LeBrochet,  chief  of  that 
family,  a  proud  and  very  wicked  man,  who  had  four  or  five 
wives,  treated  the  Father  very  badly.  Finally,  he  obliged 
him.  to  leave  him  and  to  make  for  himself  a  hut  of  fir-tree 
branches.  0  God!  what  a  dwelling  during  the  rigors  of  win- 
ter, which  are  almost  insupportable  in  those  countries.  The 
nourishment  was  not  any  better.  Most  of  the  time  their 
whole  repast  consisted  of  a  small  fish  boiled  in  mere  water, 
and  that  had  to  suffice  for  four  or  five  at  a  time.  Moreover, 
this  puny  fish  itself  was  an  alms,  which  the  Indians  gave  to 
some  one  among  them  who  waited  on  the  beach  for  the 
return  of  the  (Indian)  fishermen's  canoes,  the  same  as  poor 
beggars  await  alms  at  a  church-door.  A  certain  moss,  which 
grows  on  rocks,  often  served  them  to  make  a  good  meal  I 
They  would  put  a  handful  of  this  moss  into  their  kettle, 
which  would  thicken  the  water  a  little,  forming  thereon  a 


W'- 


I, 


!    Ill 


2(5 

kind  of  scum  or  foam,  like  that  of  snails,  which  nourished 
more  their  imagination  than  their  body  !  The  remains  of 
fish  (head,  entrails),  which  are  carefully  preserved  whilst  fis^h 
are  found  in  abundance,  served  also  when  hard  up  to  tease 
their  hunger.  Even  pulverized  bones  these  starving  men  wculd 
utilize  for  nourishment.  Many  kinds  of  wood  furnished 
them  with  food.  The  bark  of  oak,  birch,  white-wood  and  of 
other  trees  were  boiled  and  pulverized  and  then  put  into  the 
water  in  which  a  fish  had  been  boiled  or  they  were  mixed 
with  fish-oil,  and  this  served  as  an  excellent  ragout !  They 
ate  acorns  with  more  relish  and  pleasure  than  people  in 
Europe  eat  chestnuts,  and  yet  they  did  not  get  their  fill.  In 
this  manner  they  struggled  through  the  first  wintei.  As  to 
the  spring  and  summer,  they  got  along  better,  on  account  of 
a  little  game  they  hunted.  They  killed,  from  time  to  time, 
some  ducks,  wild  geese  or  pigeons,  which  aft'orded  them  de- 
lightful banquets.  Raspberries  and  other  little  berries  served 
them  as  grand  delicacies.  Neither  corn  nor  bread  are  known 
in  that  country. 

But  if  those  poor  Frenchmen  were  destitute  of  nearly  all 
that  might  recreate  the  body,  they  were  recompensed  with 
the  consolations  of  heavenly  grace.  As  long  as  the  Father 
was  alive,  they  had  holy  mass  every  day,  and  they  confessed 
and  received  holy  communion  every  week. 

As  to  the  death  of  the  Father,  this  is  what  I  have  learned 
concerning  it.  During  the  winter,  which  he  spent  with  the 
Outaouak,  he  started  a  church  among  those  savages,  a  very 
small  one  indeed,  but  very  precious,  for  it  cost  him  much 
sweat  and  many  tears.  Hence  it  seemed  to  be  composed  of 
only  predestined  souls,  the  greatest  part  of  whom  were  dying 
infants,  whom  he  was  obliged  to  baptize  stealthily,  for  their 
parents  used  to  conceal  them  when  he  would  enter  their  wig- 
wams, having  the  old  erroneous  notion  of  the  Hurons,  that 
Baptism  caused  their  death. 

Among  the  adults  he  found  two  old  men  whom  grace  had 
prepared  for  Christianity,  the  one  by  a  mortal  sickness,  which 
robbed  him  of  the  life  of  the  body  shortly  after  he  had 
received  that  of  the  soul.  He  expired  after  having  made 
public  profession  of  the  faith  and  proach  by  his  example  to 
nis  relatives,  who,  by  mocking  him  and  his  prayers,  afforded 
him  an  occasion  of  giving  proof  of  a  very  strong  though 
newly  rooted  piety. 


w 


27 

The  other  old  man  was  enlightened  by  his  blindness.  Per- 
haps he  would  have  never  perceived  the  splendors  of  faith, 
had  his  eyes  been  opened  to  earthly  objects.  But  God,  who 
draws  light  from  darkness  and  who  delights  to  let  us  see, 
from  time  to  time,  traces  of  His  Providence,  arranged  every- 
thing so  well  for  this  poor,  blind  man,  that  the  Father  came 
just  in  time  to  enlighten  him  and  to  open  heaven  to  him 
when  apparently  he  had  already  one  foot  in  hell.  He  died 
some  time  after  Baptism,  blessing  God  for  the  graces  He  had 
bestowed  upon  him  at  the  end  of  his  days,  which  he  had  so 
little  merited  during  the  long  course  of  his  life,  having  almost 
attained  his  hundredth  year. 

There  were  also  some  women  who  t;dded  to  this  solitary 
church.  Among  them  was  a  widow,  xrho  in  baptism  re- 
ceived the  name  of  Ann,  and  who  was  looked  upon  as  a  saint 
by  those  people,  although  they  do  not  know  what  sanctity  is. 
Since  the  Father  prepared  her  for  the  most  Holy  Sacrament 
of  the  Altar,  she  no  longer  knows  what  a  barbarous  life  is, 
though  living  among  a  lot  of  barbarians.  She  says  her 
prayers  all  alone  on  her  knees,  whilst  all  the  family  are 
carrying  on  improper  discourse.  She  continues  in  this  holy 
exercise  of  devotion  to  the  adniiration  of  our  Frenchmen, 
who  saw  her  during  the  years  following  her  conversion  just 
as  fervent  as  the  first  day.  By  an  example  hitherto  un- 
known among  people  entirely  given  up  to  impurity,  she  of 
her  own  account  has  consecrated  the  rest  of  her  widowhood 
to  chastity  and  that  in  the  midst  of  continual  abominations, 
with  which  those  infamous  wretches  boast,  of  incessantly 
polluting  themselves. 

Theqe  are  the  fruits  of  Father  Menard's  labors.  They  are 
very  trifling  in  appearance,  but  very  great  in  reality,  as  it  re- 
quires great  courage,  great  zeal  and  a  great  heart  to  suffer 
hardships  so  great  in  goi^g  so  far  for  apparently  so  little, 
though  indeed,  that  cannot  be  called  little  which  involves 
the  question  of  saving  even  a  soul,  for  which  the  son  of  God 
did  not  spare  his  sweat  and  blood  of  infinite  value. 

Excepting  these  elect  the  Father  fou  id  nothing  but  oppo- 
sition to  the  faith  amongst  the  rest  of  those  barbarians,  on  ac- 
count of  their  great  brutality  and  infamous  polygamy.  The 
little  hope  he  had  of  converting  these  people,  plunged  in  all 
sorts  of  vices,  made  him  resolve  to  undertake  a  new  journey 
of  one  hundred  leagues,  in  order  to  instruct  a  tribe  of  poor 


fH 


H 


28 


M 1 

.![      'll, 

;Ili    .1. 


Hurons,  whom  the  Iroquois  had  caused  to  fly  to  that  end  of 
the  world. 

Among  those  Hurons  there  were  a  great  many  old 
Christians  who  asked  most  urgently  for  the  Father.  They 
promised  that  at  his  arrival  at  their  place,  the  rest  of  their 
countrymen  would  embrace  the  faith.  But  before  starting 
for  that  distant  country,  the  Fither  begged  three  young 
Frenchmen  of  his  flock  to  go  ahead  to  reconnoitre.  They 
were  to  make  presents  to  the  head  men  of  the  tribe  and  assure 
them  on  his  part,  that  he  would  go  and  instruct  them  as  soon 
as  they  would  send  some  guides  to  conduct  him  to  their 
place. 

After  undergoing  many  hardships,  the  three  young  French- 
men arrived  at  tlie  village  of  this  poor  agonizing  tribe.  En- 
tering their  wigwams,  they  found  but  living  skeletons,  to 
feeble  that  they  could  scarcely  stir  and  stand  on  their  feet. 
Hence  they  did  not  think  it  advisable  to  give  them  the 
presents  which  they  had  brought  along  from  the  Father,  see- 
ing no  appearance  of  a  popsibility  for  him  to  go  and  hunt 
them  up  so  soon,  without  exposing  himself  to  die  of  starva- 
tion with  them  in  a  few  days,  as  they  were  unable  to  do  any- 
thing for  themselves  and  as  it  was  a  long  time  yet  before  they 
could  hervest  their  Indian-corn,  of  which  they  had  planted 
some  small  patches.  So  they  soon  transacted  their  business 
with  those  poor,  famished  people  and  took  leave  of  them, 
assuring  them  that  the  Father  was  not  to  blame  for  their  not 
getting  instructed. 

They  set  out  on  their  way  to  return,  which  was  a  great 
dea^  harder,  being  obliged  to  go  up  the  river  in  returning, 
whtjreas  they  had  gone  down  stream  when  going  to  the  Huron 
village.  If  they  had  not  been  young  and  fit  for  hardships, 
they  would  never  have  returned.  A  good  Huron,  who  meant 
to  accompany  them,  was  obliged  *to  turn  back  for  fear  of 
dying  of  hunger  on  the  way.  In  addition  to  their  suffer- 
ings, the  canoe  in  which  they  had  come  was  stolen  from 
them.  Had  they  not  formerly  learned  to  make  canoes,  a  la 
Iroquois,  when  they  were  with  us  among  thai  tri>>e,  they 
would  have  perished.  These  Iroquois  canoes  are  easily  made 
of  thick  bark,  at  almost  all  seasons  of  the  year.  Having, 
therefore,  finished  a  canoe  in  one  day,  they  embarked  to- 
wards the  end  of  May  (1661).  Some  turtles,  which  they 
found  on  the  shores  of  lakes  and  rivers,  with  some  pickerel 


29 


which  they  caught  with  a  fishing-line,  served  them  for 
nourishment  during  the  fifteen  days  it  took  them  to  return 
to  the  place  whence  they  had  started. 

They  explained  to  the  Father  how  little  appearance  of  hope 
there  was  that  a  poor,  old,  decrepit,  feeble  man,  like  him, 
destitute  of  provisions  as  he  was,  should  undertake  such  a 
voyage.  But  they  might  well  parade  before  his  eyes  the 
difficulties  of  the  way,  by  land  and  by  water,  the  number  of 
rapids  and  waterfalls,  the  long  portages,  the  precipices  to  be 
passed,  thd  rocks  over  which  one  must  drag  himself,  the  drv 
and  sterile  lands  where  nothing  could  be  found  to  eat;  all 
this  did  not  frighten  him;  he  had  but  one  answer  to  give  to 
these  good  c'lildren  of  his:  "God  calls  me,  I  must  go  there, 
should  it  even  cost  my  life.  St.  Francib  Xavier,  said  he  to 
them,  who  seemed  so  necessary  to  the  world  for  the  conver- 
sion of  souls,  died  well  in  trying  to  enter  China.  And  I, 
who  am  good  for  nothing,  should  I,  for  fear  of  dying  on  the 
way,  refuse  to  obey  the  voice  of  my  God,  who  cafb  me  to 
the  succor  of , poor  christians  and  catechumens  deprived  of  a 
pastor  sir  ce  so  long  a  time  ?  No,  no,  I  do  not  want  to  let 
souls  perish,  under  pretext  of  preserving  the  bodily  life  of  a 
puny  man,  such  as  I  am.  What!  must  God  be  served  and 
our  neighbor  helped  only  ^ohen  when  there  is  nothing  to 
suffer  and  no  risk  of  one's  life  ?  This  is  the  most  beautiful 
occasion  to  show  to  angels  and  men  that  I  love  my  Creator 
more  than  the  life  I  have  from  Him,  and  would  you  wish  me 
to  let  it  escape  ?  Would  we  ever  have  been  redeemed  had 
not  our  dear  Master  preferred  to  sacrifice  His  life  in  obedience 
to  His  Father  for  our  salvation?" 

Thus  the  resolution  was  taken  to  go  and  seek  those  lost 
sheep.  Some  Hurons,  who  had  come  to  traffic  with  the  Outa- 
ouak,  offered  themselves  to  the  Father  to  act  as  guides.  He 
felt  happy  at  meeting  with  them.  He  gave  them  some  lug- 
gage to  carry  and  chose  one  of  the  Frenchmen  to  accompany 
him.  Ml  the  provisions  he  took  along  were  a  bag  of  dried 
sturgeon  and  a  litt^  i  smoked  meat,  which  he  had  long  ago 
saved  for  this  intended  journey. 

His  last  adieu  to  the  other  Frenchmen  whom  he  was  leav- 
ing, was  in  these  prophetic  words:  "Adieu,  my  dear  children," 
said  he,  embracing  them  tenderly,  "  I  bid  you  the  great  adieu 
for  this  world,  for  you  will  not  see  me  again.  I  pray  the 
Divine  Goodness,  that  we  may  be  reunited  in  heaven." 


fr 


■■    :  : 


30 

So  he  set  out  on  his  journey  the  13th  of  July,  1661,  nine 
months  after  his  arrival  in  the  Outaouak  country.  But  the 
poor  Hurons  though  they  had  little  to  carry,  soon  lost  cour- 
age, their  strength  failed  through  want  of  nourishment.  They 
abandoned  "^he  Father,  telling  him  they  were  going  in  haste 
to  their  village  to  inform  the  headmen  that  he  was  on  the 
way  coming,  and  thus  induce  them  to  send  some  strong  young 
men  to  get  him.  About  fifteen  days  the  Father  stopped  near 
a  lake  expecting  help.  As  provisions  were  failing,  he  deter- 
mined to  betake  himself  on  the  way  with  his  (French)  com- 
panion, having  a  small  canoe,  which  he  had  found  in  the 
bruyh. 

They  embarked  with  their  l^+tle  baggage.  Alas !  who  could 
describe  the  hardships  which  ^hat  poor,  extenuated  body  of 
his  endured,  during  the  course  of  that  voyage,  from  hunger, 
heat,  fatigue,  and  at  the  portages,  where  he  was  obliged  to 
shoulder  both  canoe  and  packs,  without  having  any  other 
consolation  than  that  of  every  day  celebrating  holy  Mass. 

Finally,  about  the  10th  of  Auguct,  the  poor  Father,  \.hilst 
following  his  companion,  went  astray,  mistaking  some  trees 
or  rocks  for  others.  At  the  end  of  a  portage,  made  in  order 
to  get  by  a  rather  difficult  cataract,  or  rapids,  his  companion 
looked  back  to  see  whether  he  could  descry  the  Father  com- 
ing. He  seeks  for  him,  calls  him,  shoots  ofi  his  gun  as  many 
as  tive  times,  to  bring  him  back  to  the  right  way,  but  all  in 
vain.  This  made  him  determine  to  go  as  quickly  as  possible 
to  the  Huron  village,  which  he  judged  to  be  near  by,  in  order 
to  hire  help,  at  whatever  cost  it  might  be,  to  go  and  search 
for  the  Father.  But  unluckily  he  himself  lost  his  way  and 
went  beyond  the  village  without  noticing  it.  He  had  better 
luck,  however,  when  getting  lost,  for  he  met  an  Indian  who 
led  him  back  and  brought  him  to  the  village;  but  he  did  not 
arrive  there  till  two  days  after  the  Father  had  gone  astray. 
And  then,  what  can  a  poor  man  do,  who  does  not  know  a 
single  word  of  the  Huron  language?  Still,  as  charity  and 
necessity  are  eloquent  enough,  he  gave  them  to  understand 
by  his  gestures  and  tears,  that  the  Father  had  lost  his  way. 
He  promised  a  young  man  various  French  articles  to  prevail 
upon  him  to  go  and  search  for  the  Father.  At  first  he  made 
a  show  of  being  willing  to  do  so,  and  actually  started. 
Scarcely  was  he  gone  two  hours,  however,  when  he  returned, 
shouting, ''  To  arras  !  to  arms  1  I  am  just  after  meeting  with 


31 


the  enemy !"  At  this  uproar  the  compassion  they  had  con- 
ceived for  the  i^'ather  vanished  and,  with  it,  the  will  to  go 
and  seek  for  him. 

And  thus  behold  the  priest  left,  abandoned — but  in  the 
hands  of  divine  providence.  God,  no  doubt,  gave  him  the 
courage  to  suffer  with  constancy,  in  that  extremity,  the  depri- 
vation of  all  human  succour  when  tormented  by  the  stings  of 
mosquitoes,  which  are  exceedingly  numerous  in  those  parts, 
and  so  intolerable,  that  the  three  Frenchmen  who  had  made 
the  voyage  (to  the  Huron  village)  declare  that  there  was  no 
other  way  of  protecting  themselves  from  their  bites  than  to 
run  incessantly,  and  it  was  even  necessary  that  two  of  them 
should  chase  away  those  little  beasts,  whilst  the  third  was 
taking  a  drink.  Thus  the  poor  Father,  stretched  out  on  the 
ground  or  on  some  rock,  remained  exposed  to  their  stings 
and  endured  this  cruel  torment  as  long  as  life  held  out. 
Hunger  and  other  miseries  completed  his  sufferings  and 
caused  this  happy  soul  to  leave  its  body,  in  order  to  go  and 
enjoy  the  fruit  of  so  many  hardships  endured  for  the  con- 
version of  savages. 

As  to  his  body,  the  Frenchman,  who  accompanied  him, 
did  all  he  could  with  the  Indians  to  get  them  to  go  and  search 
for  it,  but  in  vain.  Neither  the  precise  time  nor  the  day  of 
his  death  can  be  ascertained.  The  companion  of  his  voyage 
thinks  he  died  about  the  day  of  the  Assumption  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin  (Aug.  15th,  1661),  for  he  says  the  Father  still 
had  a  piece  of  smoked  meat  about  the  size  of  a  man's  hand, 
which  might  have  been  able  to  sustain  him  for  two  or 
three  days.  Some  time  afterwards  an  Indian  found  the 
Father's  bag,  but  he  would  not  admit  that  he  found 
his  body,  for  fear  he  might  hi  accused  of  having  killed 
him,  which  is  probably  but  too  true,  since  those  savages  do 
not  hesitate  to  cut  a  man's  throat  when  they  meet  him  alone 
in  the  woods,  in  hopes  of  capturing  some  booty.  As  a  mat- 
ter of  fact,  moreover,  some  articles  belonging  to  his  vestment- 
box  were  seen  in  a  certain  wigwam.^ 

Father  Menard  has  the  immortal  glory  of  being  the  first 
priest  that  ever  said  Mass  on  Wisconsin  soil,  between  the  1st 
and  lOth  of  August,  1661.' 


%■ 


Ished 


1.  "Relation"  of  1663,  pp.  17-22. 

2.  See  "Hist,  and  blog.  notes"  on  the  locality,  where  Father  Menard  per- 


a  ■ 


82 

CHAPTER  IV. 


V, 
t 

I     : 


n 


ii 


Great  Earthquake  in  Canada  and  its  Prodigious  Effects/ 

"  On  the  5th  of  February,  1663,  at  half  past  five  in  the 
evening,  a  great  roaring  noise  was  heard  at  the  same  time 
throughout  the  whole  extent  of  Canada.  This  noise,  which 
sounded  as  if  fire  had  broken  out,  made  everybody  run  out  of 
doors  to  escape  such  an  unexpected  conflagration.  But,  in- 
stead of  seeing  smoke  and  flames,  all  were  much  surprised  to 
see  the  walls  of  their  houses  rocking  and  the  stones  stirring, 
as  if  they  had  become  detached.  Roofs  appeared  to  bend 
down  on  one  side  and  then  on  the  other;  bells  rang  of  them- 
selves; beams,  rafters  and  boards  cracked;  the  earth  bounded, 
causing  the  stakes  of  the  palisades  to  dance  in  a  manner  that 
would  appear  incredible,  had  we  not  seen  it  ourselves  in 
several  places. 

Everybody  ran  out  of  doors,  animals  fled,  children  were 
crying  in  the  streets,  m'^^n  and  women,  seized  with  terror, 
knew  not  whither  to  flee  lor  refuge,  imagining  every  moment 
they  would  be  buried  under  the  ruin  of  their  houses,  or  in- 
gulfed in  some  abyss  that  was  opening  under  their  feet.  Some , 
casting  themselves  on  their  knees  in  the  snow,  cried  for 
mercy,  others  passed  the  rest  of  the  night  in  prayer — for  the 
earthquake  continued  with  a  certain  motion  like  that  of  a 
ship  at  sea,  so  much  so,  that  some  felt  a  rising  in  their 
stomach  as  if  they  were  sea-sick.  The  tumult  was  still  far 
greater  in  the  forests.  It  seemed  as  if  the  trees  were  at  war, 
striking  against  each  other.  Not  only  their  branches,  but 
even,  one  would  have  said,  their  trunks  detached  themselves 
from  their  places,  to  jump  upon  one  another  with  a  fracas 
and  a  tumbling-over  that  made  the  Indians  say  the  woods 
were  drunk. 

Even  the  mountains  seemed  to  be  at  war  with  one  another. 
Some  of  them  detached  themselves  from  their  base  and  threw 
themselves  upon  the  others,  leaving  a  vast  abyss  at  the  place 
in  which  they  had  previously  stood.  At  times  they  would 
tiink  the  trees  with  which  they  were  covered,  deep  into  the 
ground  up  to  their  tops;  others  again  they  would  bury, 
branches  downward,  which  then  occupied  the  former  place 

■^1      I        III      ■ ^ 

1.    "Relation*"  of  1663,  pp.  3-5.    See  nole  on  earthquake. 


83 


of  the  roots;  thus  they  left  nothing  but  a  forest  of  trunks  over- 
turned. 

Whilst  this  general  subversion  was  being  enacted  on  the 
land,  the  ice  (on  the  river  St.  Lawrence)  which  was  from  five 
to  six  feet  thick,  broke  up,  going  to  pieces.  In  several  places 
openings  were  made  in  the  ice  and  thick  fumes  of  smoke  rose 
on  high,  or  jets  of  mud  and  sand  shot  up  high  into  the  air; 
our  springs  ceased  to  run  or  had  but  water  impregnated  with 
sulphur;  rivers  disappeared  or  became  wholly  putrid,  the 
water  of  some  of  them  became  yellow,  others  red.  Our  great 
river  St.  Lawrence  looked  altogether  whitish  as  far  as  towards 
Tadoussac,  a  very  astonishing  prodigy  to  those  who  know 
what  a  great  quantity  of  water  this  great  river  has  below  the 
island  of  Orleans  and,  consequently,  how  much  matter  it  must 
take  to  whiten  it. 

The  air  was  no  more  exempt  from  alterations  than  the 
waters  and  the  land,  for,  besides  the  crackling  noise  that  al- 
ways preceded  and  accompanied  the  earthauake,  fiery 
spectres  and  phantoms  were  seen  carrying  tc  ones  in  their 
hands.  Pikes  and  lances  of  tire  were  seen  ftying  through  the 
air  and  lighted  fire-brands  gliding  over  the  houses,  without 
doing  any  other  harm  than  causing  great  fright  wherever  they 
appeared.  People  even  heard  plaintive  and  languishing 
voices  lamenting,  as  it  were,  during  the  stillness  of  the  night, 
and,  what  is  very  rare,  sea-hogs  uttering  loud  cries  in  front 
of  Three  Rivers,  making  the  air  resound  with  their  pitiable 
bellowing,  be  it  that  they  were  real  sea-hogs,  or,  as  some 
think,  sea-cows.  A  thing  so  extraordinary  could  not  pro- 
ceed from  an  ordinary  cause. 

They  write  from  Montreal,  that  during  the  earthquake  the 
palisades  or  stakes  of  enclosures  were  seen  to  jump,  as  if 
they  were  dancing.  Of  two  doors  of  one  and  Ihe  same  room, 
the  one  closed  and  the  other  opened  of  itself.  Chimneys  and 
house-tops  bent  like  the  branches  of  a  tree  agitated  by  the 
wind.  When  a  person  lifted  up  his  foot  to  walk,  he  felt  the 
ground  following  it,  raising  itself  just  as  the  foot  was  raised 
and  sometimes  striking  against  the  sole  of  the  foot  rather 
roughly.  They  mention  other  things  of  the  same  kind  very 
astonishing. 

This  is  what  they  write  from  Three  Rivers:  The  first  shock 
and  the  most  violent  of  all,  commenced  with  a  roaring  noise 
like  thunder.    The  houses  had  the  same  motion  that  the  tops 


34 

of  trees  have  during  a  storm,  accompanied  with  a  peculiar 
noise,  which  made  people  think  that  fire  was  crackling  in  the 
loft  overhead. 

The  first  shock  lasted  fully  half  an  hour,  though  its  greatest 
force  held  out,  properly  speaking,  scarcely  a  quarter  of  an 
hour.  Everyone  imagined  that  the  earth  was  about  to  open. 
For  the  rest,  we  have  noticed  that  though  this  earthquake  is, 
so  to  say,  incessant,  it  is  not  equally  great  at  all  times.  Some- 
times it  resembles  the  motion  of  a  large  vessel  riding  gently 
at  anchor,  which  motion  produces  a  certain  dizziness  of  head.; 
at  other  times  the  motion  is  irregular  and  precipitated  by 
several  sudden  jerks,  sometimes  very  violent,  then  again  more 
moderate.  The  most  ordinary  motion  consists  of  a  slight 
trembling,  which  makes  itself  felt  when  no  noise  is  heard  and 
one  is  reposing- 

A^ccording  to  the  report  of  several  of  our  French  and  Indian 
eye-witnesses,  far  up  our  river — "  Three  Rivers" — five  or  six 
leagues  from  here,  both  sides,  which  were  of  a  f)rodigious 
height,  have  been  levelled,  being  lifted  from  their  base  and 
upset,  so  as  to  be  on  a  level  with  the  water.  Both  those 
mountains  with  all  their  forests  have  been  toppled  over  into 
the  bed  of  the  river  and  formed  there  a  mighty  dam,  which 
obliged  the  river  to  change  its  bed  and  to  overflow  large 
flats,  newly  formed,  carrying  along  in  its  course  all  this 
crumbled  earth  and  miny;ling  it,  little  by  little,  with  the 
waters  of  the  river,  which  are  still  on  that  account  so  thick 
and  rily,  that  they  cause  all  the  water  of  the  great  St.  Law- 
rence to  change  color.  Judge  how  much  soil  it  must  take 
every  day  to  continue  for  almost  three  months  to  redden 
the  water,  which  is  always  full  of  mud. 

New  lakes  are  seen  where  there  were  none  before.  Cer- 
tain mountains  are  no  longer  visible,  as  they  have  been  swal- 
lowed up.  Several  water-falls  have  been  leveled,  and  some 
rivers  have  disappeared.  The  earth  has  split  in  many  places 
and  opened  precipices,  the  bottom  of  which  cannot  be  found. 
Finally,  there  is  such  confusion  of  woods  overturned  and  en- 
gulfed, that  a  person  can  see  at  present  fields  of  more  than  a 
thousand  arpents  all  razed  and  looking  as  if  they  had  been  lately 
ploughed,  where  shortly  before  there  was  nothing  but  forests. 

We  are  informed  from  the  direction  of  Tadoussac,  that  the 
force  of  the  earthquake  there  was  no  less  violent  than  elsewhere; 
that  a  rain  of  ashes  was  seen,  which  crossed  over  the  river  as 


86 

a  great  storm  would  have  done,  and  that,  were  a  person  to 
traverse  that  part  of  the  country  from  Cape  Tourmente  till 
there,  he  would  see  prodigious  effects  of  the  earthquake. 
Towards  the  Bay,  called  St.  Paul,  there  wasaHinall  mountain 
situated  near  the  river-bank,  a  quarter  of  a  league  or  there- 
about in  circumference.  This  mountain  was  swallowed  up 
and,  as  if  it  had  only  made  a  plunge,  it  came  up  again  from 
the  bottom  of  the  water,  to  change  itself  into  an  inlet  and  to 
make  a  place  that  heretofore  had  been  quite  surrounded  by 
cliffs,  a  safe  harbor  against  all  kinds  of  wind.  Farther  down, 
towards  Pointe-aux-Alouettes,  an  entire  forest  had  detached 
itself  from  the  mainland  and  slided  into  the  river,  exhibiting 
the  spectacle  of  large,  groen  trees,  which  have  starte  I  to  grow 
in  the  water. 

For  the  rest,  three  circumstances  have  rendered  this  earth- 
quake very  remarkable.  First,  the  time  it  lasted  ;  for  it  con- 
tinued till  the  month  of  August,  that  is  to  say,  more  than  six 
months.  The  shocks,  it  is  true,  were  not  always  equally 
violent.  In  some  localities,  towards  the  mountains  back  of 
us,  the  scintillation  and  trembling  were  continual  for  a  long 
time.  In  other  places,  for  instance,  towards  Tadoussac,  the 
shocks  occurred  generally  twice  or  three  times  a  day,  with 
violent  jerks.  We  have  remarked  that  on  high  ground  the 
agitation  was  less  than  on  the  low  lands. 

The  second  circumstance  regards  the  extent  cf  thi;^  earth- 
quake, which  we  believe  to  have  been  all  over  New  France," 
tor  we  learn  that  it  made  itself  felt  from  Isle  Fercee  and  Gas- 
p^e,  which  are  situated  at  the  mouth  of  our  river  (St.  Law- 
rence) till  beyond  Montreal,  as  also  in  New  England,  Acadia 
and  other  far  distant  localities,  so  that,  to  our  knowledge,  the 
earthquake  having  occurred  throughout  a  territory  of  two 
hundred  leagues  in  length  and  one  hundred  in  width,  there 
were  twenty  thousand  leagues  of  country,  which  shook  all  at 
the  same  time,  on  the  same  day  and  at  the  same  moment. 

The  third  circumstance  in  regard  to  this  earthquake  is  the 
particular  protection  of  God  over  our  habitations  ;  for  we  see 
near  us  great  openings  (in  the  earth)  that  have  been  made 
and  a  prodigious  extent  of  country  entirely  lost,  without  our 
losing  a  child  or  even  a  hair  of  our  heads.  We  see  our?elves 
surrounded  with  subversion  and  ruin,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
have  had  only  some  chimneys  demolished,  whilst  mountains 
around  us  have  been  swallowed  up. 


it 


36 

Narrative  of  the  Mission  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
among:  the  Outaouacs  at  Lake  Tracy, 
formerly  called  Lake  Superior."* 


CHAPTER  V. 


•I 


Journal  of  the  Voyage  op  Father  Claude  Allouez  to 
THE  Land  of  the  Outaouacs."  (Ottawab).' 

"  It  is  two  years  and  more  since  Father  Claude  Allouez 
Btarted  this  large  and  laborious  mission,  for  which  he  traveled 
in  the  whole  of  his  voyage  nearly  two  thousand  leagues 
through  those  vast  forests,  suffering  hunger,  nakedness,  ship- 
wrecks, fatigues  day  and  night,  and  the  persecutions  of  the 
idolators.  But  he  had  also  the  consolation  of  carrying  the 
torch  of  faith  to  more  than  twenty  different  pagan  tribes. 

We  can  obtain  n»  better  knowledge  of  the  fruits  of  his 
labors  than  that  which  we  gather  from  the  journal  he  was 
obliged  to  write. 

The  narration  will  be  diversified  by  the  description  of  the 
places  and  lakes  through  which  he  traveled,  the  customs  and 
superstitions  of  the  tribes  he  visited  and  various  extra- 
ordinary incidents  deserving  mention. 

*'  On  the  eighth  of  August,  of  the  year  1665,  I  embarked 
at  Three  Rivers  with  six  Frenchmen,  in  company  with  more 
than  ff  *jr  hundred  Indians  of  different  tribes,  who  were  re- 
turn! .i^r  to  their  country,  having  got  through  with  the  little 
traffic  ibr  which  they  had  come. 

The  devil  formed  all  opposition  imaginable  to  our  voyaze, 
making  use  of  the  false  prejudice  these  Indians  have,  namely, 
that  Baptism  causes  death  to  their  children.^  One  of  their 
leading  men  declared  to  me  his  will  and  that  of  his  people, 
in  arrogant  terms  and  with  threats  of  abandoning  me  on  some 

1.  "Relation"  of  1667,  pp.  -1-24. 

2.  Pronounced  Oo-tah-wauk. 

8.  As  the  early  Jesuit  Fathers  realized  the  absolute  necessity  of  Baptism 
for  salvation,  they  most  eagerly  sought  to  confer  that  Sacrament  upon  the 
dying  children  of  Pagan  parents.  Seeing  that  their  children  generally  died 
after  Baptism,  the  natives  in  their  ignorance  and  superstition  attributed  their 
death  to  Baptism,  which  they  regarded  as  an  evil  charm  for  the  destruction 
of  their  offspring. 


w 


37 


desolate  island,  if  I  dared  to  follow  them  any  further.  We 
had  then  advanced  to  the  Kiver  Deenrairies,'  when  the  canoe 
which  had  carried  me,  having  been  broken,  made  me  appre- 
hend the  minfortune  with  which  they  threatened  me.  We 
worked  promptly  at  repairing  our  little  boat,  ar.  i,  although 
the  Indians  did  not  put  themselves  to  any  trouble,  neither 
U)  help  us  nor  to  wait  for  us,  we  used  diligence  so  great  that 
we  caught  up  to  them  at  ilie  Long-Sault,  two  or  three  days 
after  our  departure. 

But  our  canoe,  after  having  once  been  broken,  couia  not 
long  be  of  use  to  us,  and  our  Frenchmen,  who  were  very  tired, 
already  despaired  of  being  able  to  keep  up  with  the  Indians, 
all  accustomed  to  these  great  labors.  This  made  me  take 
the  resolution  of  assembling  them  all,  in  order  to  persuade 
them  to  receive  us  separately  into  their  canoes,  showing  them 
ours  in  so  bad  a  condition,  that  it  would  hereafter  be  useless 
to  us.  They  consented,  and  the  Hurons  promised,  though 
with  great  reluctance,|  to  take  me  aboard. 

The  next  day,  therefore,  having  betaken  myself  to  the 
edge  of  the  water,  they  gave  me  a  good  reception  at  first  and 
requested  me  to  wait  a  moment,  whilst  they  were  preparing 
for  embarking.  Having  waited,  and  then  stepped  into  the 
water,  to  get  into  their  canoe,  they  pushed  me  back,  saying 
they  had  no  place  for  me,  and  immediately  they  began  to 
row  strongly,  leaving  me  alone  without  the  appearance  of 
any  human  help.  I  prayed  to  God  to  pardon  them,  but  my 
piayer  was  not  heard,  for  they  afterwards  suffered  shipwreck, 
and  the  Divine  Majesty  made  use  of  this  abandonment  by 
men  to  preserve  my  life. 

Seeing  myself  all  alone,  abandoned  in  a  strange  land,  for 
the  whole  flotilla  was  already  far  away,  I  had  recourse  to  the 
Blessed  Virgin  Mary  in  whose  honor  we  had  made  a  novena, 
which  procured  us  from  this  Mother  of  Mercy  daily,  visible 
protection.  Whilst  I  was  praying  I  perceived,  contrary  to 
all  hope,  some  canoes,  in  which  there  were  three  of  our 
Frenchmen.  I  hailed  them,  and  having  taken  again  our  old 
canoe,  we  went  to  work  and  paddled  with  ail  our  strength  to 
overtake  the  flotilla;  but  we  had  lost  sight  of  it  since  a  long 
time,  and  we  did  no  know  where  to  go,  it  being  very  difficult 
to  find  a  small  turn  v^hich  had  to  be  taken  to  get  to  the  por- 


c-   t 


1.    Ottawa  River,  so  called  because  a  Frenchman  with  the  name  of  Des 
Prairies  was  drowned  in  said  river. 


38 

tage  of  Sault  aux  Chats  (it  is  thrs  they  call  this  place).  We 
wouH  have  been  lost  had  we  mihrfed  this  turn,  but  it  pleased 
God,  through  the  intercession  of  the  Holy  Virgin,  to  conduct 
us  directly  and  almost  without  thinking  of  it,  to  this  portage, 
where,  having  yet  perceived  but  two  canoes  of  the  Indians,  I 
jumped  into  the  water  and  made  them  (i.  t.  his  French  com- 
panions) go  by  land  to  the  other  side  of  the  portage,  where 
I  found  six  canoes.  '"What!"  said  I  to  them,  "Is  it  thus 
you  abandon  the  French  ?  Do  you  riot  know  that  I  hold  in 
my  hands  the  word  of  Onnontio  *  and  that  L  must  speak,  on 
his  part,  to  all  your  nations  by  the  presents  which  he  has 
given  me  in  charge  V  These  words  obliged  them  to  help  us, 
so  that  we  joined  the  main  part  of  the  flotilla  about  noon. 

Having  disembarked,  I  thought  it  my  duty  in  this  ex- 
tremity to  employ  the  most  efficacious  means  for  the  glory 
of  God.  I  spoke  to  them  all  and  threatened  them  with  the 
disgrace  they  would  incur  from  Monsieur  de  Tracy,  whose 
word  I  carried.  The  fear  of  disobliging  so  great  an  Onnontio 
induced  one  ot  the  foremost  among  them  to  act  as  spokes- 
man, and  he  harangued  me  strongly  for  a  long  time,  in  order 
to  persuade  me  to  return.  The  malignant  spirit  made  use 
of  the  weakness  of  this  malcontent,  to  preclude  the  passage 
of  the  Gospel.  The  rest  were  of  no  better  intention,  so  that 
our  Frenchmen,  having  found  an  easy  chance  to  embark,  no 
one  was  willing  to  take  charge  of  me,  all  of  them  saying  I 
had  neither  the  skill  to  paddle  nor  the  strength  to  carry 
package. 

In  this  abandonment,  I  retired  into  the  woods  and,  having 
thanked  God  that  He  had  made  me  feel  of  what  little  account 
I  am,  I  avowed  myself  before  His  Divine  Majesty  but  a  use- 
less burden  on  earth.  My  prayer  being  ended,  I  returned  to 
the  edge  of  the  water,  where  I  found  the  mind  of  the  Indian 
who  had  repelled  '"^e  with  so  great  contempt,  entirely  changed; 
for,  of  his  own  accord,  he  invited  me  to  get  into  his  canoe, 
which  I  did  very  promptly,  for  feivr  he  might  change  his  mind. 

No  sooner  had  I  embarked  than  he  put  a  paddle  into  my 
hand,  exhorting  me  to  paddle,  and  telling  me  that  was  a  great 
work,  worthy  of  a  chio^.  I  willingly  took  the  paddle  and, 
offering  to  God  this  labor  in  satisfaction  for  my  sins  and  for 
the  conversion  of  those  poor  Indians,  I  imagined  myself  a  maie- 

1.    Onnontio,  the  Indian  name  triven  to  the  French  Governors  of  Canada. 


39 

factor,  condemned  to  the  galleys,  and,  although  I  was  wholly 
tired  out,  God  gave  me  so  much  strength  as  was  necessary  to 
paddle  all  day  and  often  a  good  part  of  the  niglit.  This,  however, 
did  not  prevent  my  being  made  ordinarily  the  object  of  their 
contempt  and  raillery;  for  however  hard  I  tried.  I  did  noth- 
ing in  comparison  to  them,  who  were  large  of  body,  robust, 
and  made  just  for  such  labors.  The  little  account  they  made 
of  me,  was  the  cause  of  their  stealing  my  clothes  from  me, 
and  I  had  great  trouble  to  keep  my  hat,  the  rim  of  which 
appeared  to  them  very  good  to  protect  themselves  from  the 
excessive  heat  of  the  sun.  At  nigh^  my  pilot  took  a  blanket 
that  I  had  and  used  it  for  a  pillow,  obliging  me  to  pass  the 
night  without  any  other  covering  than  the  foliage  of  some  tree. 

When,  in  addition  to  these  hardships  hunger  comes,  it  is  a 
very  severe  suffering,  which  soon  taught  me  to  take  liking  to 
most  bitter  roots  mid  rotten  meat.  It  pleased  God  to  make  me 
endure  the  greatest  hunger  on  Fridays,  for  which  I  most  gladly 
thank  Him. 

I  had  to  innure  myself  to  eat  a  certain  moss  which  grows 
on  rocks.  It  is  a  kind  of  leat  in  the  shape  of  a  shell,  which 
is  always  covered  with  caterpillars  and  spiders.  When  boiled, 
it  makes  an  insipid,  black,  and  sticky  broth,  which  serves 
rather  to  keep  death  away  than  to  impart  lire. 

On  a  certain  morning  a  deer  was  found,  dead  since  four  or 
or  five  days;  it  was  a  lucky  acquisition  for  poor  famished 
beings.  I  was  offered  some,  and,  although  the  bad  smell  hin- 
dered some  of  them  from  eating  it,  hunger  made  me  take  my 
share ;  but  I  had,  in  consequence  an  offensive  odor  in  my 
mouth  until  the- next  day. 

In  addition  to  all  these  miseries  we  met  with  at  the  rapids, 
I  used  to  carry  packs  as  large  as  possible  for  my  strength  ; 
but  I  often  succumbed,  and  this  gave  our  Indians  occasion  to 
laugh  at  me.  Thoy  used  to  make  fun  of  me,  saying  a  child 
ought  to  be  called,  to  carry  both  me  and  my  baggagie.  Our 
good  God  did  not  altogether  abandon  me  on  these  occasions  ; 
for  often  He  would  move  some  one  of  them  to  compassion,  who 
would,  without  saying  anything,  take  my  box  of  vestments 
from  me  or  some  other  pack  that  I  was  carrying,  and  thus  aid 
me  to  make  my  way  with  greater  ease. 

It  sometimes  happened  that,  after  having  carried  baggage 
and  paddled  all  day  and  even  two  or  three  hours  of  the  night, 
'we  lay  down  on  the  ground  or  on  some  rock,  without  supper; 


(<  I 


il 


40 

to  begin  the  same  labors  next  day.  Divine  Providence,  how- 
ever, everywhere  mingled  n  little  sweotness  and  consolation 
with  our  fatigues. 

We  had  endured  these  hardships  about  fifteen  days,  and  had 
passed  Lake  Nipissirinien/  when  on  coursing  down  a  small 
river,  we  heard  lamentable  cries  and  songs  of  death.  We 
steered  towards  the  place  whence  those  cries  proceeded,  and 
saw  eight  young  Indians  of  the  Ottaouac  tribe  horribly  burned 
by  a  sad  accident,  a  spark  of  fire  having  unluckily  fallen  into 
a  keg  of  powder.  Four  of  them,  especially,  were  scorched  all 
over  and  in  danger  of  death.  I  consoled  them  and  prepared 
them  for  Baptism,  which  I  would  have  imparted  had  I  had 
time  enough  to  see  them  sufficiently  prepared  ;  for,  notwith- 
standing this  misfortune,  we  had  to  keep  on  walking  to  get  to 
the  entry  of  the  Lake  of  the  Huron  (^iske  Huron),  which 
was  the  general  rendez-vous  of  all  ^.iio^jo  travelers. 

On  the  twenty-fourth  of  this  month  (August)  they  met  there 
to  the  number  of  one  hundred  canoes,  and  it  was  then  they 
attended  to  the  healing  of  the  poor  men  who  had  been  burnt, 
employing  for  this  purpose  all  their  superstitious  remedies. 

I  plainly  perceived  this  the  following  night  by  the  tongs  of 
certain  jugglers  (medicine-men)  resounding  on  the  air,  and  a 
thousand  other  ridiculous  ceremonies  of  which  they  made  use. 
Others  made  a  kind  of  sacrifice  to  the  sun,  thus  to  obtain  the 
cure  of  those  sick  men;  for  ten  or  twelve  of  them  having  seated 
themselves  in  a  circle,  as  if  to  hold  a  council,  on  the  point  of 
a  rocky  islet,  they  lighted  a  small  fire,  and  hs  '  smoke  of  this 
fire  ascended  on  high,  they  sent  up  with  i  •  fused  cries, 
which  ended  in  a  harangue,  which  the  eluee-,  <r  I  foremost 
amongst  them  addressed  to  the  sun. 

I  could  not  bear  the  invocation  of  their  imaginary  gods  in 
my  presence,  although  I  saw  myself  entirely  at  the  mercy  of 
all  those  people.  I  remained  in  doubt  for  some  time  whether 
it  would  be  more  proper  for  me  quietly  to  withdraw,  or  to 
oppose  their  superstitious  practices.  The  remainder  of  my 
journey  depended  upon  them  ;  il  I  irritate  them,  thought  I, 
the  devil  will  make  use  of  their  anger  to  shut  against  me  the 
entrance  into  their  country  aiid  hinder  their  conversion. 
Besides,  I  had  already  noticed  how  little  efiectmy  words  had 

1.  Lake  Nipissingr.  The  Ottawas  call  all  small  inland  lakes,  "nibish,"  benoe 
"NlplSBlng"  a  corrupt  form  of  *  nlblshing";  "Irini"  stands  tor  the  Chippewa 
word  "inini"  man;  tbe  whole  means  "Lake  Nipissing'  people."  ^ 


ai 


i 


41 

on  their  lainds,  and  I  knew  that  opposition  would  exasperate 
them  still  more.  Notwithstanding  all  these  reasons,  I  be- 
lieved that  God  required  this  little  service  of  me.  I,  therefore, 
proceeded  to  the  place  of  this  performance,  leaving  the  success 
of  my  undertaking  to  his  Divine  Providence.  I  attacked  the 
foremost  of  the  med:cine-men  aid,  after  a  long  disputation 
between  us,  God  deigned  to  touch  the  heart  of  the  sick  man. 
He  promised  me  not  to  tolerate  any  superstitious  perform- 
ances in  order  to  be  healed,  and,  calling  upon  God  in  a  short 
prayer,  he  invoked  Him  as  the  author  of  life  and  death. 

This  victory  should  not  be  considered  a  slight  one,  being 
gained,  as  it  was,  over  the  demon  within  his  empire,  where 
for  so  many  ages  he  had  been  obeyed  and  adored  by  those 
people.  This  he  resented  shortly  afterwards  and  sent  us  the 
medicine-man,  who  yelled  like  a  mad-man  outside  of  our 
cabin  and  seemed  anxious  to  vent  his  rage  upon  our  French- 
men. 1  prayed  to  our  Lord,  that  his  vengeance  might  not 
fall  upon  anyone  olse  except  myself,  and  my  prayer  was  not, 
in  vain.  We  lost  nothing  except  our  canoe,  which  this 
wretch  broke  into  pieces. 

I  was  grieved  at  the  same  time  to  learn  the  death  of  one 
of  those  poor  burnt  men,  without  having  been  able  to  assist 
him.  Nevertheless,  I  hope  God  has  been  merciful  to  him, 
on  account  of  the  acts  of  frith  and  contrition  and  several 
other  prayers,  which  I  taught  him  to  say  the  first  time  I  saw 
him,  which  was  also  the  last. 

Towards  the  beginning  of  September,  after  having  coasted 
along  the  shores  of  the  Lake  of  the  Hurons,  T7e  arrived  at 
the  Sault.  It  is  thus  they  call  half  a  league  of  rapids  in  a 
beautiful  river  which  ccainects  two  great  lakes,  namely  that 
of  the  Hurons  and  Lake  Superior. 

It  is  a  fine  river,  as  well  on  account  of  the  islets,  with 
which  it  is  studded,  as  also  on  account  of  the  fishery  and 
chase  which  are  very  abundant  here.  We  went  to  sleep  on 
one  of  those  islets,  where  our  Indians  thought  they  would 
find  something  with  which  to  prepare  supper  immediately 
after  their  arrival;  for,  when  landing,  they  put  the  kettle  on 
the  fire,  expecting  to  see  their  canoe  loaded  with  fish  as  soon 
as  they  would  cast  their  nets  into  the  water.  But  God 
wished  to  punish  their  presumption,  postponing  till  the  next 
day  to  feed  those  famished  men.  ^ 


4    - 


42 

It  was  thus  on  the  second  of  September,  after  having 
passed  the  Sault,  which  is  not  a  fall  of  water  but  only  a  very 
strong  current,  hindered  in  its  course  by  a  number  of  rocks 
in  the  bed  of  the  river,  that  we  entered  L<^,ke  Superior,  which 
will  bear  herealter  the  name  of  Monsieur  de  Tracy,  in 
acknowledgment  of  the  obligations  which  the  people  of 
these  countries  owe  him. 

The  shape  of  this  lake  is  almost  like  that  of  a  bow,  the 
shores  on  the  south  side  forming  a  great  curve,  and  those  of 
the  north  almost  a  straight  line.  The  fishing  is  very  plenti- 
ful in  this  lake,  the  fish  excellent,  and  the  water  so  clear  and 
pure  that  one  can  see  in  as  much  as  six  fathoms  of  water 
what  is  at  the  bottom. 

The  Indians  venerate  this  lake  as  a  divinity  and  offer  it 
sacrifice,  be  it  on  account  of  its  great  size,  as  it  is  two  hundred 
leagues  long  and  eighty  in  breadth  at  its  widest  part,  or  on 
account  of  its  value,  furnishing,  as  it  does,  the  fish  that  sup- 
ports those  people  in  place  ot  the  chase,  which  is  scarce  in 
the  surrounding  country. 

At  the  bottom  of  the  water  pieces  of  pure  copper  are  often 
found,  some  weighing  as  much  as  twenty  pounds.  Several 
times  I  have  seen  such  in  the  hands  of  the  Indians.  As  they 
are  superstitious,  they  keep  these  pieces  of  copper  as  so 
many  divinities,  or  as  presents  made  them  by  the  gods  who 
are  at  the  bottom  of  the  water,  in  order  to  procure  them 
good  luck.  For  this  reason  they  keep  these  pieces  of  copper, 
wrapped  up  in  cloth  or  buckskin,  among  their  most  precious 
goods.  There  are  some  who  have  kept  such  pieces  of  copper 
more  than  fifty  years,  others  have  them  in  their  families 
from  times  immemorial^  and  cherish  them  as  household 
gods. 

For  some  time  a  large  rock,  as  it  were,  wholly  of  copper, 
has  been  seen,  the  point  of  which  projected  out  of  the  water, 
giving  occasion  to  those  passing  by  to  cut  off  pieces  of  the 
ore.  When  I  passed  the  place,  however,  nothing  more  was 
seen  of  it.  I  think  the  storms,  which  here  are  very  frequent 
and  similar  to  those  on  the  ocean,  have  covered  the  rock 
with  sand.    Our  Indians  wished  to  make  me  believe  it  was 


1.  See  "Hist,  and  biogr.  notes,"  where  It  is  related  that  an  Indian  chief  of 
La  Pointe  ha.i  siicli  a  piece  of  copper,  which  had  lieen  liept  in  his  family  over 
three  centuriep. 


43 


a  divinity  which  had  disappeared  for  some  reason  they  did 
not  tell. 

For  the  rest,  this  lake  is  the  resort  of  twelve  or  fifteen 
different  Indian  tribes,  some  coming  from  the  North,  others 
from  the  South,  and  still  others  from  the  West;  and  all  be- 
take themselves  either  to  such  places  along  the  shore  most 
suitable  for  fishing,  or  to  the  islands,  which  are  very  numer- 
ous in  all  quarters  of  this  lake.  The  design  these  p«ople 
have  in  coming  here,  is  partly  to  make  a  living  by  fishing, 
partly  to  carry  on  their  little  traffic  with  one  another  when 
they  meet.  But  God's  design  was  to  facilitate  the  announoe- 
ment  of  the  gospel  to  these  wandering  tribes,  ag  will  ap- 
pear in  the  course  of  this  journal. 

Having  then  entered  Lake  Tracy  (Superior),  we  were  en- 
gaged the  whole  month  of  September  in  coasting  along  the 
south  shore.  I  had  the  consolation  of  saying  holy  Mass,  as 
I  now  found  myself  alone  with  our  Frenchmen,  what  I  had 
not  been  able  to  do  since  my  departure  from  Three  Rivers. 

Having  thus  consecrated  these  forests  by  this  holy  action, 
to  complete  my  joy  God  led  me  to  the  edge  of  the  water, 
there  to  meet  with  two  sick  children  whom  they  were  taking 
on  board  to  proceed  toward  the  inb'^d  with  them.  I  was 
strongly  moved  interiorly  to  baptize  them,  and,  having  taken 
all  necessary  precautions,  I  did  so,  as  I  saw  they  were  in 
danger  of  dying  during  the  winter.  I  made  nothing  more  of 
all  past  hardships  and  welcomed  starvation,  which  always 
followed  closely  on  our  heels,  as  we  had  nothing  to  eat,  ex- 
cept what  our  fishermen,  who  were  not  always  lucky,  could 
furnish  us  from  day  to  day. 

We  afterwards  passed  the  bay  called  by  the  a^ed,  vener- 
able Father  Menard,  Saint  Theresa  Bay.  There  it  is  that 
this  generous  missionary  spent  the  winter,  laboring  with  the 
same  zeal  which  afterwards  caused  him  to  give  his  life  in  run- 
ning after  souls.  Near  by  I  found  some  remains  of  his  labors. 
They  were  two  Christian  women,  who  had  always  kept  the 
faith  and  who  shone  like  two  stars  in  this  night  of  paganism. 
I  had  them  pray  to  God  after  refreshing  in  them  the  memory 
of  our  mysteries. 

The  devil,  who  is  without  doubt  very  jealous  of  this  glory 
rendered  to  God  in  this  empire  of  his,  did  all  he  could  to 
prevent  me  from  coming  here.  Not  having  been  able  to 
succeed,  he  managed  to  get  some  manuscripts  I  carried  along, 


m( 


I 


I 


44 

which  were  of  value  to  me  for  instructing  those  pagans.     I 
had  enclosed  them  in  a  small  box,  along  with  some  medi- 
cines for  the  sick.    The  malignant  spirit,  foreseeing  that  such 
would  be  of  d^reat  nervice  to  me  for  the  salvation  of  the  In- 
dians, made  some  efforts  to  cause  me  to  lose  this  box;  for  once 
it  fell  overboard  into  the  seething  waters  of  a  certain  cataract; 
another  time  it  had  been  left  at  the  lower  end  of  a  portage;  it 
passed  into  dififerent  hands  seven  or  eight  times.     Finally  it 
came  to  the  possession  of  the  sorcerer,  whom  I  had  rebuked 
at  the  entrance  of  the  lake  of  the  Hurons.    Having  opened 
it,  he  took  what  suited  him,  and  then  abandoned  it,  leaving 
it  open  to  the  rain  and  to  those  passing  by .    God  deigned  to 
put  to  shame  the  malignant  spirit  and  to  make  use  of  the 
greatest  medicine-man  of  these  regions,  a  man  of  six  wives 
and  of  a  most  dissolute  life,  to  restore  this  box  to  me.     He 
handed  it  to  me,  when  I  no  longer  thought  of  it,  telling  me 
that  the  theriac  and  other  medicines,  as  also  some  pictures 
which  were  in  the  box,  were  so  many  Manitous  or  devils,  who 
would  kill  him,  if  he  should  dare  to  touch  them.     I  after- 
wards found,  by  experience,   how  much   these  writings,  in 
the  language  of  the  country,  served  me  for  their  conversion. 


I  ) 


CHAPTER  VI. 


On  the  Arrival  of  tr'-  Missionary  and  his  Stay  at  the 
Bay  op  the  Holy  Ghost,  called  Chagaouamiqonq. 

After  having  traveled  one  hundred  and  eighty  leagues  on 
the  south  shore  of  Lake  Tracy,  during  which  our  Saviour 
often  deigned  to  try  our  patience  by  storms,  hunger,  daily 
and  nightly  fatigues,  we  finally y  on  the  first  day  of  October,  1865 ^ 
arrived  at  Chagaouamigongy  for  which  place  we  had  sighed  so 
long.  It  is  a  beautiful  bay^^  at  the  head  of  which  ia  situated  fhe 
large  village  of  the  Indiana^ .  who  there  cultivate  fields  of ^  In- 
dian corn,  and  do  not  lead  a  wandering  life.  There  are  at 
this  place  men  bearing  arms  who  number  about  eight  hun- 
dred ;  but  these  are  gathered  together  from  seven  dififerent 
tribes,  and  live  in  peaceable  community. 

1.    3)6  "Hist. -and  biog.   aotes"  in  regard  to  the  site  of  the  old  Jesuit 
ohapsl,  on  La  Pointe  du  Saint  Bsprit. 


45 

This  great  number  of  people  induced  iw  to  prefer  this  place  to 
oU  others  for  our  ordinary  aoode,  in  order  to  attend  more  conven- 
iently to  the  instrv^ition  of  these  heathens,  to  put  up  a  Chapel  there 
and  commence  the  functions  of  Christianity. 

At  first  we  could  only  put  ourselves  under  a  roof  of  bark 
^ve  in  a  wigwam  made  of  bark)  where  we  were  so  often 
visited  by  these  people,  of  whom  the  greater  part  had  never 
Been  a  European,  that  we  were  overrun  by  them.  The 
instructions  which  I  ga^e  them  were  continually  interrupted 
by  pec  pie  going  and  coming,  which  made  me  resolve  to  go 
and  see  them  myself  in  their  respective  wigwams,  where  I 
talked  to  them  about  God  more  at  ease,  and  instructed  them 
more  leisurely  in  all  the  mysteries  of  our  faith. 

Whilst  I  was  attending  to  these  holy  works,  a  young  Indian, 
-one  of  those  who  had  been  burnt  by  the  explosion  of  the  keg 
of  povder,  as  related  above,  came  to  see  me  and  asked  to 
become  a  Christian,  assuring  me  that  he  in  real  earnest  wished 
to  be  baptized.  He  related  something  that  happened  to  him, 
of  which  people  may  think  as  they  like.  "I  had  no  sooner 
obeyed  you,"  said  he  to  me,  "sending  away  the  sorcerer,  who 
wanted  to  cure  me  with  his  jugglery,  than  I  saw  Him  who 
made  all  things,  of  whom  you  spoke  to  me,  and  He  aaid  to 
me  in  a  voice  which  I  heard  distinctly:  "You  will  not  die  of 
the  burning,  because  you  have  listened  to  the  Black  Gown." 
Scarcely  had  He  finished  speaking  than  I  felt  myself  wonder- 
fully strengthened  and  I  had  great  confidence  that  I  would 
be  restored,  which  you  now  see  in  fact,  as  I  am  perfectly 
healed."  I  have  good  hopes  that  He  who  has  efifected  the 
healing  of  the  body  will  not  abandon  that  of  the  soul.  I 
am  the  more  confident  of  this,  because  this  Indian  came  to 
seek  me  of  his  own  accord,  in  order  to  learn  prayers  and  to 
recei'd  the  necessary  instructions. 

Not  long  afterwards  I  know  we  sent  to  heaven  a  child,  still 
in  its  swaddling  clothes,  that  died  two  days  after  I  had  given 
it  holy  Baptism.  Saint  Francis,  whose  name  it  bore,  no 
doubt,  presented  this  innocent  soul  to  God,  as  the  first  fruit  of 
this  mission. 

I  do  not  know  what  will  be  the  lot  of  another  child  I 
baptized  immediately  after  its  birth.  Its  father,  who  was  of 
the  Outaouac  tribe,  summoned  me  as  soon  as  it  was  born, 
and  even  came  to  tell  me  himself  that  I  should  baptize  it  as 
soon  as  possible,  in  order  to  make  it  live  long.    Wonderful 


.1, 


t 

1 
1 

v; 

' 


46 

thing  in  these  Indians,  who  heretofore  believed  that  baptism 
caused  death  to  their  children,  and  now  they  are  under  the 
impression  that  it  is  necessary  to  them,  in  order  to  procure 
them  a  long  life.  This  gives  me  more  access  to  these  child- 
ren, who  often  ''ime  to  me  in  crowds,  to  satisfy  their  curiosity 
in  looking  at  the  stranger,  but  much  more  so  to  receive  with- 
out thinking  of  it,  the  first  seeds  of  the  gospel,  whioh  will 
yield  fruit  in  due  time  in  these  young  plants. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


GeNu.ral  CouNorL  of  the  Tribes  op  the  Outaouac  Ccuntry. 

The  Father  having  arrived  in  the  country  of  the  Outaouacs, 
found  them  disturbed  by  the  fear  of  a  new  war  which  they 
were  about  to  wage  with  the  Nadouessi  (Sioux),  a  warlike 
tribe  who  in  their  battles  use  no  other  arms  than  the  bo-v 
and  war-club. 

A  party  of  young  warriors  were  already  being  formed  under 
the  leadership  of  a  certain  chief,  who,  having  been  offended, 
did  not  take  into  consideration  whether  the  revenge  he  was 
eager  to  take,  might  not  cause  the  ruin  of  all  the  villages  of 
his  country. 

In  order  to  prevent  these  misfortunes,  the  old  men  of  the 
tribe,  convened  a  general  council  often  or  twelve  of  the  neigh- 
boring tribes,  all  of  whom  had  something  at  stake  in  this  war, 
in  order  to  arrest  the  tomahawk  of  these  rash  men  by  means 
of  the  presents  they  would  make  them  in  so  good  a  company. 

The  Father  was  also  invited  for  this  purpose,  and  he  went 
at  the  same  time  to  speak  to  all  those  tribes  in  the  name  of 
Monsieur  de  Tracy,  whose  three  words  he  carried,  with  three 
presents,  the  interpreters  of  said  words  * 

This  whole  great  assembly  having  given  him  leave  to  ad- 
dress them,  he  said  "  My  brethren,  the  business  that  brought 
me  into  your  country  is  very  important  and  deserves  that  you 
listen  to  my  words  with  extraordinary  attention.  It  concerns 
nothing  less  than  the  preservation  of  vour  whole  country  and 
the  destruction  of  all  your  enemies."     At  these  words  the 

1   See  "Hist,  and  Biojf.  notes"  for  an  account  of  the  three  presents  sent  by 
the  French  governor  to  the  Upper  Algonquin  tribes,  and  their  meaning. 


47 

Father  having  found  them  very  much  disposed  to  listen  to 
him  attentively,  he  told  them  about  the  war  which  Monsieur 
de  Tracy  had  undertaken  against  the  Iroquois,  how  he  was 

foing  to  bring  them  back  to  their  duty  bv  the  force  of  the 
ing's  arms  and  thus  t©  render  commercial  intercourse  secure 
between  us  and  them  (i.  e.  between  the  French  and  Lake  Supe- 
rior tribes),  and  to  clear  all  the  highways  to  the  French  set- 
tlements of  those  river- pirates,  forcing  them  either  to  accept  a 
general  peace  or,  otherwise,  see  themselves  totally  destroyed. 
And  it  was  here  the  Father  took  occasion  to  speak  of  the  piety 
of  his  Majesty,  who  wished  that  God  should  be  known  through- 
out all  his  dominions,  and  who  did  not  like  people  under  nis 
sway,  who  were  not  obedient  to  the  Creator  of  the  Universe. 
He  then  explained  to  them  the  principal  articles  of  our  faith 
and  spoke  to  them  strongly  on  all  the  mysteries  of  our  relig- 
ion, in  a  word  he  preached  Jesus  Christ  to  all  those  tribes. 

It  is,  no  doubt,  a  great  consolation  to  a  poor  missionary, 
when,  having  traveled  five  hundred  leagues  amid  fatigues, 
dangers,  hunger,  and  all  kindp  of  miseries,  he  sees  himself 
listened  to  by  so  many  diflfereni  ribes,  announcing  the  Gos- 
pel to  them  and  dispensing  the  words  of  salvation,  of  which 
they  have  never  heard  before. 

These  are  the  seeds  which  for  some  time  remain  in  the 
ground  and  do  not  yield  fruit  immediately.  It  is  necessary 
to  go  and  gather  them  in  the  wigwams,  in  the  forests  and 
on  the  lakes,  and  that  is  what  the  Father  did,  who  was  found 
everywhere,  in  their  cabins,  at  their  embarkings,  on  their 
voyages;  and  everywhere  he  found  children  to  baptize,  sick 
to  prepare  for  the  Sacraments,  old  Christians  to  confess,  and 
Pagans  to  instruct. 

One  day  revolving  in  his  mind  the  obstacles  to  the  faith, 
considering  the  condition  and  depraved  customs  of  all  those 
tribes,  the  Father  felt  himself  moved  interiorly  during  the 
holy  sacrifice  of  the  mass,  to  ask  of  God,  through  the  inter- 
cession of  St.  Andrew,  whose  feast  the  church  was  celebrating 
that  day  (Nov.  30)  that  his  Divine  Majesty  would  deign  to 
make  known  to  him  the  day  for  establishing  the  Kingdom  of 
Jesus  Christ  in  these  countries  in  place  of  paganism;  and 
from  that  day  God  gave  him  to  understand  the  great  ob- 
stacles he  would  meet  with,  so  as  to  steel  him  more  and  more 
against  those  difficulties,  as  will  become  sufficiently  clear  in 
the  following  chapter. 


•'i 


fi    i- 


4  48 

CHAPTER  VIII. 


On  the  False  Gods  and  Supertitious  Customs  op  the 

Indians  op  that  Country.* 

This  is  what  Father  AUouez  relates  in  regard  to  the  cus- 
toms of  the  Outaouacs  and  other  tribes,  which  customs  he 
has  studied  very  carefully,  not  relying  upon  the  accounts 
given  him  bv  others,  but  having  seen  himself  and  noticed 
all  that  he  left  in  writing, 

"There  is  here,"  says  he,  "a  false  and  abominable  religion, 
similar  in  many  things  to  that  of  some  ancient  pagans.  The 
Indians  here  do  not  acknowledge  any  Sovereign  Master  of 
Heaven  and  Earth.  They  believe  that  there  are  many  mani- 
tons,  some  of  whom  are  beneficent,  as  the  sun,  the  moon,  the 
lake,  the  rivers  and  woods;  others  malevolent,  as  for  instance 
snakes,  the  dragon,  cold,  storms,  and  in  general  all  that 
appears  to  them  useful  or  injurious  they  call  a  manitou  and 
they  render  to  such  objects  the  worship  and  veneration  which 
we  give  to  the  true  God  alone. 

They  invoke  them  when  they  go  to  hunt,  to  t'sh,  to  war  or 
on  a  voyage.  They  offer  them  sacrifices  with  ceremonies 
only  used  by  such  as  offer  sacrifice. 

An  old  man  from  amongst  the  foremost  of  the  village  per- 
forms the  functions  of  a  pagan  priest.  He  begini?  with  a 
studied  harangue  which  he  addresses  to  the  sun,  if  he  sacri- 
fice is  offered  in  its  honor,  and  they  get  up  a  feast  at  which 
all  has  to  be  consumed  by  the  guests.  This  is  accordingly 
something  like  a  holocaust.  He  loudly  declares  that  he  re- 
turns thanks  to  that  luminary  for  giving  him  lig;ht,  luckily 
to  slay  some  animal.  He  implores  it  and  exhort?  it  for  the 
sake  of  this  ,  feast,  to  continue  its  loving  care  for  his  family. 
During  this  invocation  all  the  guests  eat  until  the  last  bit  is 
consumed,  after  which,  a  man  appointed  for  th^it  particular 
ofi&ce,  takes  a  cake  of  tobacco,  breaks  it  in  two  and  throws  it 
into  the  fire.  All  present  raise  a  great  outcry,  whilst  the  to- 
bacco is  being  consumed  by  the  fire  and  the  smoke  going  up, 
and  with  these  clamors  the  whole  sacrifice  ends. 

"I  have  seen  an  idol,"  says  the  Father,  "set  up  in  the  mid- 
dle of  a  village,  to  which,  among  other  presents,  they  offered 

1.  See  "  Hist,  and  Bio^t  notes,"  where  the  reader  will  find  an  article  on 
Indian  8i«per8tition8,  war-danoe  and  religion,  taken  from  Perrot's  "Memoire." 


49 


ten  dogs  in  sacrifice,  that  this  false  god  might  vouchsafe  to 
banish  elsewhere  a  malady  which  was  depopulating  the  vil- 
lage. All  of  them  went  there  daily  to  make  their  offerings 
to  this  idol  according  I  to  their  needs." 

Besides  these  public  sacrifices,  they  have  private  and 
domestic  ones;  for  in  their  wigwams  they  often  throw  some 
tobacco  into  the  fire,  with  a  kind  of  exterior  offering  which 
they  make  to  their  false  gods. 

During  storms  and  tempests  they  sacrifice  a  do^  to  the 
lake,  which  they  throw  into  its  waters,  saying  : '  Here  is  lome- 
thing  to  pacify  thee;  be  still !'  In  dangerous  places  on  rivers 
they  strive  to  propitiate  the  eddies  and  falls  by  offering  them 
presents.  So  much  are  they  persuaded  that  they  really 
honor  their  pretended  divinities  by  this  exterior  worship, 
fl^at  those  amongst  them  who  have  been  converted  and  bap- 
tized, make  use  of  these  same  ceremonies  in  worshipping  the 
true  God  until  they  are  disabused  of  their  error. 

For  the  rest,  as  these  people  are  dull,  they  do  not  acknowl- 
edge any  deity  purely  spiritual.  They  believe  that  the  sun 
is  a  man  and  the  moon  is  his  wife;  that  snow  and  ice  are  also 
human  beings,  who  go  away  in  spring  and  come  back  again 
in  winter;  that  the  devil  dwells  in  snakes,  dragons,  and  other 
monsters;  that  crows,  hawks  and  some  other  birds  are  mani- 
tou3  and  talk  as  well  as  we  do,  pretending  there  are  some 
Indians  who  understand  their  language  just  as  some  of  them 
understand  a  little  French. 

Moreover,  they  believe  that  the  souls  of  the   departed 

govern  the  fishes  in  the  lake,  and  hence,  at  all  times,  they 
ave  believed  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  even  holding 
the  doctrine  of  metempsychosis,  that  is,  the  transmigration 
of  the  souls  of  deceased  fishes,  for  they  believe  that  they  again 
pass  into  the  bodies  of  other  fishes.  For  this  reason  they 
never  throw  the  remains  of  fish  they  have  eaten  into  the  fire, 
for  fear  of  displeasing  the  shades  of  those  fishes,  so  that  they 
might  not  come  into  their  nets  any  more. 

They  entertain  a  particular  veneration  for  a  certain  imag- 
inary animal,  which  they  have  never  seen  except  in  dreams. 
They  call  it  Missibizi,  and  consider  it  a  great  manitou,  to 
which  they  offer  sacrifice  to  obtain  good  luck,  when  they  go 
fishing  for  sturgeon. 

Moreover,  they  say  the  little  pieces  of  copper-ore  which 
they  find  at  the  bottom  of  the  lake,  or  in  the  rivers  that 


k 

t 


M 

m^:- 


i- 


i.' 


)-.( 


li^'ll 


50 

empty  into  the  lake,  they  are  the  riches  of  the  gods  who 
dwell  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth. 

"  I  have  learned,"  says  the  Father  who  found  out  all  these 
follies,  *'  that  the  Iliniouek,  the  Outagami  and  other  Indian? 
towards  the  south,  believe  that  there  is  a  great  and  excellent 
manitou,  master  of  all  the  rest,  who  made  heaven  and  earth 
and  who  resides  in  the  east,  towards  the  country  of  the 
French." 

The  source  of  their  religion  is  libertinism,  and  all  their 
superstitious  sacrifices  generally  end  in  feasts  of  debauchery  ^ 
improper  dances,  and  infamous  concubinage.  The  men  em- 
ploy all  their  zeal  in  having  many  wives  and  exchanging 
them  whenever  it  suits  them;  the  women,  in  leaving  their 
husbands,  and  the  girls,  in  living  dissolutely. 

They  shrink  not  from  suffering  much  on  account  of  those 
foolish  divinities,  for  they  fast  in  thftir  honor  to  ascertain  the 
issue  of  affairs.  "  I  have  seen  some  them,"  says  the  Father, 
"with  compassion,  who,  designing  3  to  war  or  to  hunt, 
spend  eight  days  in  succession  hardly  partaking  of  any  food, 
and  that  with  such  fixed  determination,  tha  t  they  would  not 
desist  until  seeing  in  a  dream  what  they  so  much  desired,  as, 
a  herd  of  moose,  or  a  band  of  Iroquois  put  to  flight,  or  some- 
thing similar.  This  is  not  very  hard  for  a  poor  fellow  with 
empty  brains,  wholly  exhausted  by  fasting,  and  who  thinks 
of  nothing  else  all  day  long  but  what  he  wants  to  dream 
about. 

Let  us  say  something  about  the  medical  art  as  practiced  in 
this  country.  Their  knowledge  of  medical  science  consists 
in  ascertaining  the  cause  of  sickness  and  applying  the  remedy. 

They  think  the  ordinary  cause  of  sickness  comes  from  hav- 
ing failed  to  make  a  feast  after  a  lucky  fishing  or  hunting,  for 
the  sun,  which  likes  feasts,  gets  angry  at  the  person  who  has 
failed  in  his  duty  and  makes  him  sick.  Besides  this  general 
cause  of  sickness  there  are  certain  particular  ones,  namely, 
certain  little  manitous,  malevolent  by  nature,  who  manage  to 
get  in  of  themselves,  or  who  by  some  enemy  are  put  into 
those  parts  of  the  body  which  are  sick  the  most.  Thus,  for 
instance,  if  a  person  feels  a  headache,  a  pain  in  his  arms  or 
in  his  stomach,  it  is  a  manitou,  they  say,  that  has  got  into 
those  parts  of  the  body,  and  he  will  not  cease  to  torment  the 
sick  man,  until  some  one  has  either  pulled  him  out  or 
banished  him. 


61 

Hence  the  ordinary  remedy  it  to  call  the  medicine-man, 
who  comes  in  company  with  some  old  men  with  whom  he 
holds  a  kind  of  consultation  as  to  the  malady  that  afflicts 
the  sick  man.  Then  he  casts  himself  upon  the  part  affected, 
and  applies  his  mouth,  pretending  to  suck  from  it  a  little 
stone,  or  the  end  of  a  strine,  or  something  else,  which  he  had 
beforehand  concealed  in  his  mouth,  and,  showing  it  to  the 
sick  man,  he  says  :  "  Here  is  the  manitou  that  has  been 
causing  you  pain  !  See,  your  are  now  cured  1  There  is  noth- 
ing to  be  done  but  to  get  up  a  feast." 

The  devil,  who  is  eager  to  torment  these  poor,  blind  peopls 
even  in  this  world,  has  inspired  them  with  another  remedy 
in  which  the^  have  great  confidence,  which  is  to  take  the 
patient  by  his  arms  and  make  him  walk,  with  naked  feet, 
over  the  bnrning  coals  of  the  wigwam.  If  he  happens 
to  be  too  eak  to  walk,  four  or  five  men  bear  him  up  and 
make  him  walk  slowly  over  the  fire.  This  often  causes  a 
greater  evil  to  cure  a  minor  one,  or  it  causes  them  not  to  feel 
the  lighter  one,  the  smart  of  the  burning  caused  by  walking 
on  the  lighted  coals,  rendering  them  insensible  to  other  infirm- 
ities or  troubles. 

After  all,  the  most  common  remedy,  as  it  is  the  most  profit- 
able to  the  doctor,  or  medicine-man,  is  to  get  up  a  feast  in 
honor  of  the  sun,  believing  that  this  luminary,  being  fond  of 
liberality,  will  be  appeased  by  a  magnificent  repast,  and  will 
look  upon  the  siek  man  with  a  gracious  eye  to  restore  him 
to  health. 

All  this  shows  how  far  these  poor  people  ar*  from  the  king- 
dom of  God.  But  He  who  can  touch  hearts  as  hard  as  stone, 
can  make  them  children  of  Abraham  and  vessels  of  election. 
He  can  cause  Christianity  to  be  born  in  the  bosom  of  idolatry, 
and  with  the  light  of  faith,  enlighten  even  savages  plunged  in 
the  darkness  of  error  and  in  an  ocean  of  debauchery.  This 
will  be  known  from  the  account  of  the  missions  the  Father 
established  in  that  remote  end  of  the  world  during  the  first 
two  years  he  dwelt  there. 


;  i 


ml' 


52 
CHAPTER  IX. 


Account  op  the  Mission  of  the  Holy  Ghost  at  Lake  Tracy. 

After  a  hard  and  disagreeable  voyage  of  five  hundred 
leagues,  during  which  miseries  of  all  kii  ds  were  met  with, 
the  Father,  having  gone  *o wards  the  extremity  of  the  great 
lake,  there  found  an  opportunity  to  exercise  the  zeal  wnich 
had  enabled  him  to  endure  so  many  hardships  in  founding 
the  missions,  of  which  we  are  about  to  speak.  Let  us  begin 
with  that  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  is  the  place  where  he 
resided.    This  is  what  he  says  cf  it: 

"This  section  of  the  lake  shore,  where  we  have  settled  down, 
is  between  two  large  villages  and  is,  as  it  were,  the  centre  of  all 
the  tribes  of  these  countries,  because  the  fishing  here  is  very 
good,  which  is  the  principal  source  of  support  to  these  people. 

We  have  erected  here  a  small  bark  chapel,  wherein  my 
whole  occupation  consists  in  receiving  the  Christian  Algon- 
quins  and  Hurons,  instructing  them,  baptizing  and  catechiz- 
ing their  children;  admitting  pagans  who,  attracted  by  the 
novelty  of  the  thing,  assemble  here  from  all  parts  of  the 
country,  speaking  to  them  in  public  and  in  private,  combat- 
ting their  idolatry,  making  them  see  into  the  truths  of  our 
faith,  and  thus  outfering  no  one  to  depart  from  me  without 
having  first  sowed  some  seeds  of  the  Gospel  into  his  soul. 

God  gave  me  the  grace  to  make  myself  understood  by 
more  than  ten  different  tribes,  but  I  confess  it  is  necessary 
to  beg  Him  for  patience,  even  before  daylight,  in  order  to 
suffer  joyfully  the  contempt,  raillery,  importunity  and  arro- 
gance of  these  savages.* 

Another  occupation  I  have  in  my  Chapel  is  to  baptize  sick 
children,  which  the  Pagans  themselves  bring  to  me,  in  order 
to  get  medicine  from  me,  and  since  I  see  that  God  restores 
these  innocent  little  children  to  health  after  Baptism,  I  am  in 
hopes  He  intends  to  make  them,  as  it  were,  the  foundation 
of  his  church  in  these  quarters. 

I  have  hung  different  pictures  in  the  chapel,  for  instance, 
of  Hell  and  the  General  Judgment,  which  supply  me  with 

1.  The  Father  uses  the  present  tense  frequently  and  the  adverb  here,  In 
these  articles,  showing  that  the  notes,  which  he  copied  into  his  journal,  were 
written  on  the  shores  of  Chequamegron  Bay. 


53 

subjects  for  instruction  very  suitable  to  the  capacity  of  my 
hearers.  Jn  this  manner  I  have  no  difliculty  afterwards  to 
make  them  attentive,  to  make  them  chant  the  ^^Our  Father^''  and 
"  HaU  Mary,^^  in  their  language,  and  to  take  the  lead  in  the 
prayers  I  have  them  say  after  each  instruction.  All  this 
attracts  so  great  a  number  of  Indians  to  instruction,  that 
from  morning  till  night  I  see  myself  happily  obliged  to  do 
nothing  else. 

God  gives  his  blessing  to  these  beginnings.  Sins  of  im- 
purity are  less  frequent  now  among  the  young.  Girls,  who 
previously  did  not  blush  at  the  most  shameless  actions,  are  re- 
served in  their  behavior  and  observe  the  modesty  so  becom- 
ing to  their  sex. 

I  know  many  of  them,  who,  when  solicited  to  sins  against 
purity,  boldly  answer  that  they  pray  to  God,  that  is  to  say, 
are  Christians,  and  that  the  Black  Gown  forbids  them  these 
debaucheries. 

A  young  girl  of  ten  or  twelve  years  came  to  me  one  dn,y, 
to  ask  to  become  a  Christian.  "  My  little  sister,"  said  I  to 
her,  "you  do  not  deserve  it.  Tou  know  very  well  what  was 
said  of  you  some  months  ago."  "It  is  true,"  she  answered, 
"  I  was  foolish  at  that  time  and  did  not  know  that  what  I 
was  doing  was  bad,  but  since  you  told  us  so,  and  I  began  to 
prav,  1  have  not  done  it  any  more." 

The  first  days  of  1666  were  employed  in  presenting  Ntjw 
Year  gifts  to  the  Infant  Jesus,  which,  no  doubt,  ^ere  very 
pleasing.  This  present  consisted  of  several  children,  whom 
their  mothers,  receiving  a  very  extraordinary  inspiration 
from  God,  brought  to  me  to  have  them  baptized.  So  this 
small  congregation  was  increasing  little  by  little.  Seeing  they 
were  already  imbued  with  our  n  ysteries,  I  judged  it  time  to 
transfer  our  little  chapel  to  the  large  village,  three-fourths  of 
a  league  distant  from  our  dwelling-place,  and  composed  of 
from  forty-five  to  fifty  large  wigwams  of  all  tribes,  where 
there  are  as  many  as  two  thousand  souls.* 

It  was  just  at  the  time  of  their  greatest  debaucheries,  and  I 
can  say,  in  general,  that  I  saw  in  this  Babylon  the  perfect 
picture  of  libertinism.  I  did  not  omit  laboring  here  the  same 
way  as  in  our  first  place  of  abode  and  with  the  same  success. 
But  the  malignant  spirit,  being  envious  of  the  good  which 

1.  The  writer  is  of  the  opinion  that  .this  large  villaiore  of  2,000  souls  was  on 
the  southeast  end  uf  Ghequamegron  Bay,  between  Fish  ( 'rnek  and  Ashland. 


yi  f 


i 


j!* 


\.': 


|><''il 

m^ 


54 

the  sjrace  of  God  effected  here,  caused  diabolical  juggleries  to 
be  erformed  every  day  right  near  our  chapel  for  the  healing 
of  a  sick  woman.  These  juggleries  consisted  of  nothing  else 
than  superstitious  dances,  hideous  masquerades,  horrible 
clamors  and  a  thousand  buffooneries.  I  did  not  fail  to  go  and 
see  her  every  day,  and,  in  order  to  attract  her  by  kindness 
I  made  her  a  present  of  some  grapes.  At  last  the  sorcerers 
having  declared  that  her  soul  had  departed  and  that  they 
had  no  hopes  of  her  getting  better,  I  went  to  see  her  next  day 
and  told  her  that  this  was  not  true,  and  that  I  even  hoped  she 
would  be  cured,  provided  she  would  believe  in  Jesus  Christ. 
But  I  could  not  make  any  impression  on  her  mind.  Hence 
I  determined  to  speak  to  the  sorcerer  himself  who  attended 
her.  He  was  so  surprised  to  see  me  at  his  place,  that  he 
seemed  wholly  dumfounded.  I  showed  him  the  lollies  of  his 
art  and  that  he  contributed  more  to  the  death  of  his  patients 
than  to  prolonging  their  lives.  In  reply  he  threatened  to 
make  me  feel  their  effect  by  certain  death.  A  little  after, 
having  begun  his  jugglery,  he  kept  at  it  for  three  hours.  From 
time  to  time  he  would  cry  out  in  the  midst  of  his  ceremonies 
the  Black  Gown  would  die  of  their  effects ;  but  through 
divine  grace,  all  was  in  vain.  God  even  knew  how  to  draw 
good  from  evil;  for  the  medicine-man,  having  himself  sent 
two  of  his  children  to  have  them  baptized,  they  received  by 
means  of  the  sacred  waters  of  Baptism,  at  one  and  the  same 
time,  the  cure  of  both  soul  and  body. 

The  next  day  I  visited  another  celebrated  sorcerer,  a  man 
who  had  six  wives  and  who  lived  in  such  disorder  as  may  be 
imagined  in  company  ot  this  kind.  I  found  in  b^s  wigwam  a 
small  army  of  children.  I  sought  to  acquit  myself  of  the 
duties  of  my  ministry,  but  in  vain.  This  is  the  first  time  I 
saw  Christianity  mocked  in  these  quarters,  especially  in  what 
concerns  the  resurrection  of  the  dead  and  the  fire  of  hell.  I 
left  with  this  reflection  :  "  Ibant  Apostoli  gaudentes  a  con- 
spectu  concilii,  quoniam  digni  habiti  sunt  pro  nomine  Jesu 
contumeliam  pati."* 

The  insults  I  received  in  that  wigwam  soon  became  known 
outside  and  were  the  cause  of  others  treating  me  with  the 
eame  insolent  affronts.  Already  they  had  broken  away  a  part 
of  the  bark,  that  is  of  the  walls  of  our  church;  already  they 

1    "The  Apostles  went  rejoicing  from  the  sight  of  the  council,  because  they 
had  been  judged  worthy  to  suffer  insult  for  the  name  of  Jesus." 


55 


had  commenced  to  rob  me  of  all  that  I  had ;  the  younj? 
assembled  more  and  more  and  became  the  more  insulting;  and 
the  word  of  God  was  listened  to  only  with  scorn  and  derision. 
This  obliged  me  to  abandon  this  post,  in  order  to  return  to  our 
ordinary  dwelling-place,  having  this  consolation  when  leaving 
them,  that  Jesus  Christ  had  been  preached  and  the  faith 
announced  both  publicly  as  also  to  each  Indian  individually, 
for  besides  those  who  filled  our  chapel  from  morning  till 
night,  the  others  who  stayed  at  home  in  their  wigwams,  were 
instructed  by  such  as  had  heard  me. 

I  have  heard  them  myself  in  the  evening,  after  all  had 
retired,  repeat  understandingly,  in  the  tone  of  a  chief,  the 
whole  instruction  I  had  given  them  during  the  day.  They 
admit  indeed,  what  I  taught  them  is  very  reasonable,  but 
libertinism  over-rules  reason,  and  if  grace  be  not  very  power- 
ful, all  our  instructions  have  but  little  effect. 

One  of  them  having  come  to  see  me,  in  order  to  be  instructed, 
at  the  first  word  I  said  to  him  concerning  the  two  wives  he 
had,  said  to  me  :  "  My  brother,  yuu  are  speaking  to  me  of  a 
very  difficult  affair ;  it  is  enough  that  my  children  pray  to 
God,  i.  e.  become  Christians,  instruct  them." 

After  I  had  left  that  place  of  abomination^  God  led  me  about 
two  leagues  away  from  the  site  of  our  dwelling,  where  1  found 
three  adults,  who  were  sick,  and  whom  I  baptized  after  suffi- 
cient instrii  tion.  Two  of  them  died  after  Baptism.  The 
secrets  of  God  are  wonderful,  and  I  coiild  relate  several 
instances  of  the  same  kind,  which  show  His  loving  Providence 
for  the  elect. 


CHAPTER  X. 


On  vhe  Mission  op  the  Tionnontateheronnons. 

The  Tionnontateheronnons^  of  to-day  are  the  same  people, 
who  were  formerly  called  the  "Huronsof  the  Tobacco  Tribe." 
They  were  obliged,  like  other  tribes,  to  leave  their  country  to 
fiee  from  the  Iroquois,  and  to  withdraw  towards  the  end  of 
this  large  lake,  where  distance  and  lack  of  game  served  them 
as  protection  against  their  enemies. 

1  Pronounced  Tee-on-non-tah-tay-her-on-nons,  Hurons  of  the  "  Tobacco 
Nation."  See  "Hist,  and  Blog.  Notes^'  in  rejfard  to  that  tribe.  They  seem  to 
have  dwelt  on  the  southwest  end  of  Cbequumetfon  Bay»  between  the  head  of 
the  bay  and  Washburn. 


s- 


'P 


1 


llv 


';! 


I:.i" 


T'i 


56 

Formerly  they  formed  a  part  of  the  flourishing  church  of 
the  Hurons  arxd  they  had  the  aged  Father  Gamier  for  their 
Pastor,  who  so  courageously  gave  his  life  for  his  dear  flock; 
hence  they  cherish  a  particular  veneration  for  his  memory. 

Since  their  expulsion  from  their  own  country,  they  have 
not  been  trained  in  the  exercise  of  the  Christian  religion  ; 
hence  they  are  Christians  rather  by  condition  (having  been 
baptized  in  their  native  country)  than  by  professi<)n.  They 
glory  in  that  beautiful  name;  but  the  intercourse  they  have  had 
with  pagans  for  so  long  a  time,  has  almost  effaced  from  their 
minds  every  vestige  of  religion  and  caused  them  to  resume 
many  of  their  ancient  customs.  They  have  their  village  pretty 
near  our  place  of  abode,  which  makes  it  possible  for  me  to 
attend  to  this  mission  with  greater  assiduity  than  the  others 
farther  away. 

I  have,  therefore,  endeavored  to  restore  this  mission  to  its 
former  state,  by  preaching  the  word  of  God  and  by  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  sacraments.  The  very  first  winter  I  passed  with 
them,  I  conferred  Baptism  on  one  hundred  children  and, 
subsequently  on  others  during  the  first  two  year8  that  I 
attended  them.  The  adults  approached  the  sacrament  of  Pen- 
ance, assisted  at  the  holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  said  prayers 
both  in  public  and  in  private, — in  a  word,  they  practiced  their 
relis;ion  aR  if  they  had  been  very  well  instructed.  It  was  not 
difficult  /or  me  to  reestablish  piety  in  their  hearts  and 
reawaken  the  good  sentiments  they  used  to  have  for  the  faith. 

Of  the  children  baptized,  God  only  deigned  to  take  two 
that  flew  away  to  heaven  after  their  Baptism.  As  to  the  adults, 
there  are  three  for  whose  salvation  it  seems  God  sent  me  here. 

The  first  was  an  old  man,  an  Ousaki  (Sac)  by  birth,  for- 
merly an  eminent  man  amongst  those  of  his  tribe  and  who 
had  always  been  esteemed  by  the  Hurons,  by  whom  he  had 
been  taken  captive  in  war.  A  few  days  after  my  arrival  in 
this  country,  I  learned  that  he  was  sick  about  four  leagues 
distant.  I  went  to  him,  instructed  and  baptized  him,  and 
three  hours  afterwards  he  died,  leaving  me  all  possible  indi- 
cations that  God  had  bestowed  mercy  on  him. 

If  my  voyage  from  Quebec  had  had  no  other  fruit  than  the 
salvation  of  this  poor  old  man,  I  would  consider  all  my  steps 
but  too  well  recompensed,  since  the  Son  of  God  shed  even 
the  last  drop  of  His  blood  for  him. 


vay 


67 

The  second  person,  of  whom  I  have  to  speak,  is  a  woman 
very  far  advanced  in  ag'^.  She  was  detained  about  two  leagues 
from  our  dwelling-place,  by  a  dangerous  Bickness,  caused 
by  a  bag  of  powder  accidentally  taking  fire  in  her  wigwam. 
Father  Gamier*  had  promised  her  baptism  more  than  fifteen 
years  ago,  which  he  was  ready  to  confer  when  he  was  killed 
by  the  Iroquois.  This  good  Father  did  not  forget  his  prom- 
ise. Like  a  good  Shepherd,  he  procured  by  his  intercession 
that  I  should  be  here  before  she  died.  I  went  to  see  her  the 
day  of  All  Saints  (Nov.  1st),  and,  having  refreshed  her  mem- 
ory on  all  our  mysteries,  I  found  that  the  seeds  of  the  word 
of  God,  sowed  in  her  soul  so  many  years  ago,  had  produced 
fruit,  which  only  awaited  the  waters  of  Baptism  to  come 
to  maturity.  Having  well  prepared  her,  I  conferred  this 
Sacrament  upon  her,  and  that  very  night  she  resigned  her 
soul  to  her  Creator. 

The  third  person  is  a  young  girl,  fourteen  years  of  age,  who 
diligently  attended  all  the  catechetical  instructions  I  gave, 
and  joined  in  the  prayers  which  I  had  them  say,  of  which 
she  had  learned  a  good  many  by  heart.  She  fell  sick.  Her 
mother  who  was  not  a  Christian,  called  the  sorcerers  and  had 
them  perform  all  the  follies  of  their  infamous  trade.  I  heard 
about  it,  went  to  seek  the  girl  and  made  her  a  proposal  of 
Baptispa.  She  was  overjoyed  to  receive  it;  after  which,  child 
though  she  was,  she  opposed  all  the  juggleries  they  tried 
to  perform  around  her,  saying  by  her  Baptism  she  had 
renounced  all  those  superstitions;  and  in  this  generous  com- 
bat she  died,  praying  to  God  until  she  breathed  her  last  sigh. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


On  the  Mission  the  Outaoua.cs,*  Kiskakoumac  and  Outa- 

ouasinagouc. 

I  here  join  these  tribes  because  they  have  one  and  the 
same  language,  which  is  the  Algonquin ;  and  compose  one 
and  the  same  village,  which  is  opposite  that  of  the  Tionnonta- 
teheronnons,  between  which  two  villages  we  reside. 

1  See  "  His.  and  Biogr.  Notes,"  where  tbe  martyrdom  of  this  saintly  priest 
is  described. 

2  See  "  Hist,  and  Blogr.  Notes."  Outaouaslnagouo  pron.  Oo-tah*wab-8ln- 
ah-gook.  Their  village  was  probably  located  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Che- 
quamagon  Bay. 


\\h 


** 


i 


f- 


If 


III 


I' 

u 

i  fit' 


58 

The  Outaouacs  claim  that  the  great  river  (the  St. Lawrence) 
belongs  to  them,  and  that  no  tribe  may  navigate  it  without 
their  consent.  For  this  reason  all  of  those  who  go  to  traffic 
with  the  French,  although  of  very  different  tribes,  bear  the 
general  name  of  Outaouacs,  under  whose  auspices  they  make 
their  voyage. 

The  ancient  abode  of  the  Outaouacs  was  a  certain  tract  on 
the  lake  of  the  Harons,  whence  the  fear  of  the  Iroquois  drove 
them,  and  towards  this  their  native  country  tend  all  their 
desires. 

These  people  have  very  little  inclination  to  the  faith,  because 
they  are  most  strongly  addicted  to  idolatry,  to  superstitious 
practices,  to  fables,  polygamy,  instability  of  marriages,  and 
to  every  kind  of  libertinism  which  causes  them  to  smother  all 
natural  feelings  of  shame.  All  these  obstacles  did  not^  how- 
ever, prevent  me  from  preaching  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  and 
announcing  the  Gospel  in  all  their  wigwams  and  in  our  chapel, 
which  is  filled  from  morring  till  night.  Here  I  give  them 
continual  instructions  en  our  mysteries  and  on  the  command- 
ments of  God. 

The  first  winter  I  spent  with  them,  I  already  had  the  con- . 
eolation  of  baptizing  about  eighty  children,  some  of  them 
boys  and  girls  from  eight  to  ten  years,  who  by  their  assiduity 
in  coming  to  prayers  had  rendered  themselves  worthy  o(  this 
happiness.  What  contributes  much  to  the  baptism  of  these 
children,  now  very  common,  is  that  these  sacred  waters  not 
only  do  not  cause  death,  as  they  formerly  supposed,  but,  on 
the  contrary,  give  health  to  the  sicl  and  restore  the  dying  to 
life.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  God  has  \iaken  to  himself  but  six 
of  all  the  children  baptized,  and  left,  the  others  to  serve  as  a 
foundation  to  this  new  church. 

As  to  the  adults,  I  did  not  think  it  proper  to  baptize  many 
of  them,  because  their  superstition,  so  deeply  rooted  in  their 
minds,  opposed  a  powerful  barrier  to  their  conversion. 
A.mong  the  four  whom  I  judge<i  to  be  well  prepared  for  this 
sacrament,  Divine  providence  manifested  itself  plainly  in  the 
case  of  one  poor  sick  man,  who  lived  two  leagues  from  our 
dwelling  place.  I  did  not  know  he  was  sick,  nevertheless  I 
felt  myself  interiorly  urged  to  go  and  see  him,  notwithstand- 
ing the  little  strength  and  health  I  had.  I  went  as  far  as  a 
hamlet  a  good  league  distant  from  us,  where  I  found  nobody 
sick,  but  where  I  was  informed  of  another  hamlet  farther 


59 

distant.  Notwithstanding  ray  weakness  I  thought  God 
required  rae  to  go  there.  I  proceeded  thither  with  a  great  (teal 
of  suffering  and  found  this  dying  Indian,  who  only  awaited 
baptism,  which  I  gave  him  after  the  necessary  prepara- 
tion. Happily  he  had  heard  the  instructions  I  gave  during 
the  winter,  when  he  came  to  our  chapel  with  others,  and  by 
his  diligent  attendance  rendered  himself  deserving  of  this 
mercy  of  God. 

During  the  summer  of  this  same  year  I  was  occupied, 
especially,  in  assisting  the  sicic  of  this  mission.  I  baptized 
three  whom  I  found  in  danger,  two  of  whom  died  in  the  pro- 
fession of  Christianity.  God  conducted  me  to  some  of  the 
wigwams  just  in  time  to  confer  baptism  on  eleven  sick  chil- 
dren, who  had  not  as  yet  the  use  of  reason,  of  whom  five 
went  to  enjoy  God  in  Heaven.  Of  seventeen  other  children 
whom  I  baptized  during  autumn  and  the  following  winter, 
only  one  died,  going  to  Heaven  almost  at  the  same  time  that 
a  good  old  blind  man  expired,  three  days  after  his  baptism. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


On  the  Mission  of  the  Pouteouatamiouec. 

The  Pouteouatami^  are  a  tribe  who  speak  Algonquin,  but 
very  much  harder  to  be  understood  than  the  Outaouacs. 
Their  country  is  at  the  lake  of  the  Illimouec  (Illinois,  Lake 
Michigan).  It  is  a  large  lake,  which,  as  yet,  is  not  veil 
known  by  us,  adjoining  the  lake  of  the  Hurons  and  that  of 
the  Puants  (Green  Bay)  between  the  east  and  south.  They 
are  a  war-like  people,  hunters  and  fishermen.  Their  country 
is  very  good  for  Indian  corn,  fields  of  which  they  cultivate 
and  thither  they  willingly  retire,  in  order  to  escape  famine, 
so  common  in  this  country.  They  are  extremely  idolatrous, 
attached  to  ridiculous  fables,  ana  fond  of  polygamy.  We 
have  seen  them  here  to  the  number  of  three  hundred  men, 
bearing  arms.  Of  all  the  tribes  with  whom  I  have  had  to  deal 
in  these  regions,  they  are  the  most  docile  and  the  most 
friendly  towards  the  French.    Their  women  and  daughters 

1  Pronounced  Poo-tay-wau-tah-mee.  See  "Hist,  and  Blog.  Notes,"  where 
the  reader  will  find  a  short  sketch  of  that  tribe.  They  are  now  mostly  settled 
In  Kansas  and  Ind.  Terr,  and  a  few  in  Wisconsin  and  Miohiiran. 


M- 


60 


(!i  ' 


i:> 


IIP 


are  more  reserved  in  their  disposition  than  those  of  other 
tribes.  They  have  some  refinement  of  manners  and  show  it 
towards  strangers,  a  rare  thing  amongst  our  Indians.  Hav- 
ing once  gone  to  see  one  of  their  aged  men  (probably  an  old 
chief)  he  looked  at  my  shoes,  made  according  to  the  French 
mode.  Impelled  by  curiosity,  he  asked  me  to  take  them  off' 
and  let  him  examine  them  at  his  ease.  When  he  handed 
them  back  to  me  he  would  not  suffer  me  to  put  them  on  my- 
self, but  I  was  obliged  to  accept  this  service  from  him.  He 
wished  even  to  tie  my  shoe-strings,  with  the  same  tokens  of 
respect  that  servants  show  to  their  masters.  "See,"  said  he 
"it  is  thus  we  serve  those  whom  we  honor." 

Another  time,  having  gone  to  see  him,  he  rose  from  his 
seat  to  offer  it  to  me  with  the  same  ceremonies  that  polite- 
ness demands  from  gentlemen. 

I  have  publicly  announced  the  faith  to  them  at  the  gen- 
eral assembly  spoken  of  above,  which  was  held  a  few  days 
after  my  arrival,  and  privately  in  their  wigwams  during  tl:< 
month  I  stayed  with  them  here,  and  then  during  the  ^  hole 
autumn  and  winter  following,  in  which  time  I  baptized 
thirty-four  of  their  children,  nearly  all  in  their  cradle.  For 
the  consolation  of  this  mission  T  must  say  the  first  one  of 
these  tribes  to  take  possession  of  Heaven  in  the  name  of  all  its 
countrymen  was  a  Pouteouatami  child  that  I  baptized  shortly 
after  my  arrival  here,  immediately  before  its  death. 

During  the  same  winter  I  received  five  adults  into  the 
church.  The  first  was  an  old  man  of  about  one  hundred 
years,  whom  the  Indians  looked  upon  as  a  kind  of  divinity. 
He  used  to  fast  twenty  days  in  succession  and  had  visions 
of  God,  that  is  to  say,  according  to  these  people,  of  Him  who- 
made  the  earth.  He  fell  sick,  however,  and  was  nursed  by 
his  two  daughters  with  an  assiduity  and  love  beyond  the 
comprehension  of  the  Indians.  Among  other  services  they 
rendered  him,  they  would  repeat  to  him  in  the  evening  the^ 
instructions  they  had  heard  during  the  day  at  our  chapel, 
God  deigned  to  make  use  of  their  mial  love  for  the  conver- 
sion of  their  father.  When  I  went  to  see  him  I  found  him 
acquainted  with  our  mysteries  and  the  Holy  Ghost  working^ 
in  his  heart  by  the  ministry  of  his  daughters,  he  vehe- 
mently  begged  to  be  made  a  Christian.  This  I  granted  him 
by  conferring  Baptism  without  delay,  seeing  him  in  danger 
of  death.    Thenceforth  he  would  not  have  any  juggleries* 


61 


practiced  about  him  for  his  cure,  nor  would  he  hear  any 
other  conversation  than  that  which  concerned  the  salvation 
■of  his  soul.  Once  when  I  admonished  him  often  to  pray  to 
God,  "Know,"  said  he,  "my  brother,  I  continually  throw 
tobacco  into  the  fire,  saying  :  'Thou  who  hast  made  Heaven 
and  earth,  this  I  do  to  honor  Thee.'"  I  contented  myself 
with  making  him  understand  that  it  was  not  necessary  to 
honor  God  in  such  a  way,  but  only  by  speaking  to  Him  with 
mouth  and  heart.  Afterwards,  the  time  having  come  when 
the  Indians  require  that  one  do  their  wishes  by  a  ceremony 
very  much  resembling  the  Bacchanalia  or  the  carnival,  our 
good  old  man  made  them  search  throughout  all  the  wig- 
wams for  a  piece  of  blue  stuff,  wishing  for  that  because  it 
was  the  color  of  Heaven,  "  towards  which,"  he  said,  "  I  de- 
sire always  to  direct  my  heart  and  my  thoughts."  I  never 
saw  an  Indian  who  was  more  willing  to  pray  to  God. 
Among  other  prayers  he  repeated  the  following  with  extra- 
ordinary fervor :  "  My  Father,  who  art  in  heaven ;  my 
Father,  may  thy  name  be  -sanctified."  These  words  con- 
tfined  more  sweetness  for  him  than  those  I  suggested — "Our 
Father,  who  art  in  Heavf  n."  Seeing  himself  one  day  so  far 
advanced  in  age,  he  exclaimed  of  himself  in  the  sentiment 
of  St.  Augustine:  "Too  late  have  I  known  Thee,  0  my  God; 
too  late  have  I  loved  Thee  !"  I  doubt  not  that  his  death, 
which  soon  followed,  was  precious  in  the  eyes  of  God,  who 
had  suffered  him  to  remain  in  idolatry  for  so  many  years, 
reservi'-g  but  a  few  days  for  him  to  end  his  life  in  this  Chris- 
tian manner 

I  must  not  omit  mentioning  something  rather  surprising. 
The  day  after  his  death  his  relatives,  contrary  to  all  the  cus- 
toms of  this  country,  burned  his  body  and  wholly  reduced 
it  to  ashes.  The  cause  of  this  was  a  fable,  here  regarded  as 
a  fact.  They  maintain  that  the  father  of  this  old  man  was  a 
hare  that  during  the  winter  walks  on  the  snow,  and,  conse- 
quently, the  snow,  the  hare  and  the  old  man  are  from  the 
same  village,  that  is  to  say,  relatives.  They  add  that  the 
hare  once  said  to  his  wife  he  dl.-l  not  like  their  children  to 
dwell  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  because  that  was  not  suit- 
Able  to  their  condition  ae  relatives  of  the  snow,  whose  coun- 
try is  on  high  towards  heaven  ;  and  should  it  ever  happen 
that  they  were  put  under  ground,  after  death,  he  would  pray 
to  his  relative,  the  snow,  to  fall  in  such  quantity  and  stay 


1 


1 

i 

i 

f 

m 

if 
t 

i . 

ill! 


62 

so  long  that  there  would  be  no  spring,  in  order  thub  to  pun- 
ish the  people  for  their  fault.  In  confirmation  of  this  yam 
they  add  that  three  years  ago  the  brother  of  our  good  old 
man  died  at  the  beginning  of  winter,  and,  having  been  buried 
as  usual,  the  snow  was  so  plentiful  and  the  winter  so  long^ 
that  people  despaired  of  seeing  the  spring  in  season.  Grt  at 
numoers  were  dying  of  hunger,  yet  no  help  could  be 
obtained  for  this  public  calamity.  Hereupon  the  leading 
men  assembled,  held  several  councils,  but  all  in  vain;  the 
snow  kept  on  all  the  time.  Finally  one  of  the  assembly  said 
he  remembered  the  threats  above-mentioned,  and  immedi- 
ately they  set  about  disinterring  the  body.  Having  burned 
it,  the  snowing  ceased  at  once  and  spring  approached.  Who 
would  think  people  could  believe  things  so  ridiculous,  and 
yet  these  Indians  regard  them  as  incontrovertible  facts. 

Our  good  old  man  is  not  the  only  one  of  his  house  to  whom 
God  showed  mercy.  His  two  daughters,  who  were  instru- 
mental in  the  cause  of  his  salvation,  were,  no  doubt,  drawn 
to  Heaven  by  his  prayers.  One  of  them  having  been  seized 
with  an  illness  that  lasted  five  days,  God  so  directed  my 
steps  that  I  came  to  her  assistance  just  in  time  to  promote 
her  eternal  happiness,  having  been  unable  to  go  to  her  place 
until  the  evening  before  her  death.  I  had  sufficient  time  to 
prepare  her  for  holy  Baptism,  which  she  received  and  then 
departed  to  enjoy  with  her  good  father  the  glory  she  had 
been  the  means  of  procuring  him.  The  other  daughter  has 
survived  both  her  father  and  sister,  and  she  seems  to  have 
inherited  their  piety.  I  found  this  woman  so  intelligent,  so 
modest,  and  so  well  disposed  toward  the  faith,  that  I  did  not 
hesitate  to  receive  her  into  the  church  by  imparting  the 
sacraments.  All  the  family  of  this  happy  neophyte,  which 
is  numerous,  possess  this  goodness  of  disposition,  which 
seems  natural  to  them.  They  all  have  a  tender  affection  for 
me,  and  showing  me  the  greatest  respect,  call  me  their  uncle. 
I  hope  God  will  be  merciful  to  them  all,  for  I  sec  they  are 
inclined  to  religion  beyond  the  generality  of  Indians. 

Among  the  wonderful  things  wrought  by  God  in  this  mis- 
sion, we  can  also  state  what  occurred  regarding  another 
family  of  this  tribe.  A  young  man,  in  whose  canoe  I  had 
embarked  when  coming  to  this  country,  toward  the  end  of 
winter  was  seized  with  a  contagious  disease  then  prevailing. 
I  t^ied  to  show  him  as  much  charity  as  he  had  done  me  evil 


m 


63 

on  the  way.  Being  a  man  of  some  note,  no  kind  of  jugglery- 
was  spared  to  cure  him.  They  went  so  far  with  tnese  per- 
formanoee,  that  at  last  they  came  to  tell  me  two  dog-teeth 
had  been  extracted  out  of  his  bodyl  "That  is  not  the  cause 
of  his  illness,"  said  I  to  them,  "but  the  corrupt  blood  in  his 
body;"  for  I  believed  he  had  the  pleurisy.  I  went  to  work^ 
however,  to  instruct  him  in  aood  earnest,  and  the  next  day 
finding  him  well  disposed,  I  baptized  him,  giving  him  the 
name  of  Ignati  is,  in  hopes  this  great  saint  would  put  to 
shame  the  malignant  spirit  and  the  medicine-mpn.  In  fact 
I  had  him  bled,  and,  showing  the  blood  to  the  medicine- 
man, who  was  present,  I  said  to  him:  "See  what  is  killing 
this  man;  you  ought  to  have  drawn  all  this  corrupt  blood 
from  him  by  vour  grimaces  and  not  your  pretended  dog- 
teeth." But  the  medicine-man  having  noticed  the  allevia- 
tion which  the  bleeding  had  given  the  patient,  wished  to 
claim  the  glory  of  his  cure  for  himself.  He  accordingly 
made  him  take  a  kind  of  medicine,  which  had  such  an  un- 
happy effect,  that  the  sufferer  remained  as  if  dead  for  three 
hours.  His  death  was,  therefore,  publicly  announced 
throughout  the  village  and  the  medicine-man,  ver>  much 
alarmed  on  account  of  this  accident,  confessed  he  had  killed 
the  poor  man,  and  begged  me  not  to  abandon  him.  In  fact 
he  was  not  abandoned  by  his  patron,  St.  Ignatius,  who  restored 
him  to  life  in  order  to  confound  the  superstitions  of  these 
pagans. 

Before  this  young  man  recovered,  his  sister  was  taken 
down  with  the  same  malady.  We  had  more  n'^cess  to  her 
for  performing  our  holy  functions,  on  account  of  the  fortunate 
occurrence  regarding  her  brother.  I  had  a  good  opportunity 
to  prepare  her  for  baptism,  and,  besides  this  grace,  the  blessed 
virgin,  whose  name  she  bore,  obtained  the  recovery  of  her 
health. 

Scarcely  was  she  out  of  danger  when  the  prevailing  dis- 
ease pJso  seized  their  cousin  in  the  same  wigwam.  He 
appeared  to  me  to  be  more  dangerously  ill  than  the  two 
others  had  been.  Hence,  I  hastened  to  baptize  him,  after 
imparting  the  necessary  instructions.  The  effects  of  thi& 
sacrament  had  already  improved  his  condition,  when  his 
father  concluded  to  make  a  feast,  or  rather  to  offer  a  sacrifice 
in  honor  of  the  sun,  in  order  to  obtain  the  recovery  of  his 
son.     I  surprised  them  in  the  midst  of  the  ceremon)^,  and, 


m'      t  (:■ 


^i;     <    ! 


w 


»'? 


64 

embracing  my  sick  neophyte,  to  make  hi  n  understand  that 
God  alone  is  master  of  life  and  death,  he  repented  immedi- 
ately and  rendered  satisfaction  to  God  by  tne  sacrament  of 
Penance.  Then  addressing  his  father  and  all  the  medicine- 
men, I  said  to  them:  "Now  I  despair  of  the  health  of  this  sick 
man,  since  you  have  had  recourse  to  others  than  to  Him 
who  holds  life  and  death  in  his  hands.  You  have  killed  this 
poor  sick  man  by  your  impious  performance?.  I  no  longer 
entertain  any  hopes  of  his  recovery."  In  fact,  he  died  some- 
time after,  and  I  hope  God  accepted  his  temporal  death  as 
a  penance  for  his  sin,  so  as  not  to  deprive  him  of  eternal  life, 
wnich,  we  may  trust,  he  obtained  through  the  intercession 
of  8t.  Joseph,  whose  name  he  bore. 

The  gain  is  more  secure  on  the  part  of  the  children,  seven- 
teen of  whom  I  baptized  toward  the  close  of  this  mission, 
which  I  was  obliged  to  end  on  account  of  the  departure  of 
these  people,  who  having  reaped  their  Indian-corn,  retired  to 
their  country.  On  leaving  they  invited  me  most  urgently  to 
come  to  their  place  in  the  following  spring.  May  God  be  for- 
ever glorified  by  these  poor  people,  who,  at  length,  have 
recognized  Him,  they  who  from  old  did  not  know  any  divin- 
ity greater  than  the  sun. 


\k 


m- 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


On  the  Mission  of  the   Ousakiouek  and  Outagamiouek. 

I  here  subjoin  these  two  tribes  successively,  because  they 
mingle  with  the  preceding,  being  allied  to  them,  and,  besides, 
they  have  the  same  language,  which  is  the  Algonguin,  al- 
though very  different  in  many  idiomy;:ic  expressions  which 
makes  it  hard  for  one  to  understand  them.  Still,  after  some 
efforts,  they  understand  me  at  present  and  I  them  sufficiently 
to  instruct  them. 

The  country  of  the  Outagami*  is  southward  toward  the 
lake  of  the  Hlimouec  (Illinois,  Lake  Michig  an).    They  are  a 

1  Pronounced  Oo-tah-gaa-mee.  The  reader  will  And  a  short  dissertation 
on  this  once  most  powerful  tribe  of  Wisconsin  in  "Hist,  and  bloff.  notes."  For 
thirty  years  nearly  all  the  Outag-ami  (Fox)  tribe  have  lived  in  Tama  County, 
Iowa,  ^nd  in  1883,  368  was  the  estimate  population.  In  the  Indian  territory  a 
census  of  mixed  Hacs  and  Foxes  was  made  in  1883,  and  437  was  the  number.— 
<"Minn.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  v.  p.  33.") 


65 


populous  tribe,  about  one  thousand  men  carrying  arms, 
nunters  and  warriors.  They  liave  fielda  of  Indian-corn  and 
reside  in  a  country  well  adapted  for  hunting  lynx,  deer,  moose 
and  beaver.  They  are  not  in  the  habit  of  using  canoes,  but 
generally  travel  by  land,  carrying  their  baggage  and  their 
game  on  their  shoulders.  These  people  are  as  much  addicted 
to  idolatry  as  other  tribes.  Having  one  day  entered  the 
wigwam  of  an  Outagami,  I  found  his  father  and  mother 
dangerously  sick,  and,  having  told  him  that  a  bleeding  would 
cure  them,  this  poor  man  took  some  tobacco,  reduced  to 
powder,  and  threw  it  all  over  my  garment,  saying:  "Thou 
art  a  manitou;  take  courage,  restore  these  sick  people  to 
health;  I  offer  thee  a  sacrifice  of  this  tobacco."  "What  are 
you  doing  my  brother,"  I  said  to  him,  "I  am  nothing.  He 
who  has  made  all  thing  is  the  master  of  our  lives;  I  am  only 
his  servant."  "Well,  then,"  he  answered,  strewing  tobacco 
on  the  ground  and  lifting  up  his  eyes,  "it  is  to  Thee,  who 
hast  made  heaven  and  earth,  that  I  offer  this  tobacco;  give 
health  to  these  sick." 

These  people  are  not  far  from  the  knowledge  of  the  Crea- 
tor, for  they  are  the  same  that  told  me,  as  related  above,  that 
in  their  country  they  acknowledged  a  great  manitou,  who 
made  heaven  and  earth  and  who  dwelt  toward  the  country 
^f  the  French.  It  is  said  of  them  and  of  the  Ousaki,  that 
when  they  find  a  man  wandering  about,  lost  and  at  t'aeir 
mercy,  they  kill  him,  especially  if  he  be  a  Frenchman,  whose 
bear4  they  cannot  endure.  This  kind  of  cruelty  renders 
them  less  docile  and  less  disposed  for  the  gospel  than  the 
Pouteouatami.  Nevertheless  I  have  not  failed  to  announce 
the  gospel  lo  one  hundred  and  t\tenty  persons,  who  spent  a 
summer  here.  I  did  not  find  any  one  among  them  suffi- 
ciently disposed  for  baptism.  I  conferred  it  upon  five  of  their 
sick  children,  however,  who  afterwards  recovered  their  health. 

As  to  the  Ousaki^  they  above  all  others  may  be  called  sav- 
ages. They  are  very  numerous,  but  wandering  about  in  the 
woods  without  any  fixed  abode.  I  have  seen  about  two  hun- 
-dred  of  them  and  announced  the  faith  to  them.  I  baptized 
eighteen  of  their  children,  to  whom  the  sacred  waters  were 
mlutary  both  for  body  and  soul. 

1    Pronounced  Oo-sau-kee,  Sacs.    It  seems  they  were  a  very  barbarous  at 
cruel  race.    It  was  probably  by  a  Sac  Indian  that  Father  Menard  was  killed. 
See  "Hist,  and  Biog:.  Notes."    They  were  allies  of  the  Foxes  and  enemies  of 
the  French. 


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66 
CHAPTER  XIV. 


On  the  Mission  of  the   Illi.mouec  or   Altmoueo. 

The  Illimouec*  speak  Algonquin,  but  very  different  fronv 
that  of  all  the  other  (Algonquin)  tribes.  I  understood  them 
but  very  little,  having  little  conversation  with  them.  They 
do  not  dwell  in  these  quarters.  Their  country  is  more  than 
sixty  leagues  distant  southward,  beyond  a  large  river,  which 
env^jties,  as  far  as  1  am  able  to  conjecture,  into  the  ocean,  toMirds 
Virginia.'^  These  people  are  hunters  and  are  war-like.  They 
use  the  bow  and  arrow,  seldom  a  gun  and  never  a  canoe. 
They  were  once  a  populous  tribe,  distributed  in  ten  large  vil- 
lages, but  at  present  they  are  reduced  to  two.  The  continual 
wars,  on  the  one  side  with  the  Nadouessi,  on  the  other  with 
the  Iroquois  have  almost  exterminated  them. 

They  acknowledge  several  manitous  to  whom  they  offer 
sacrifice  and  practice  a  kind  of  dance,  quite  peculiar  to  them- 
selves. They  call  it  "  The  dance  of  the  filling  of  the  pipe" 
(Calumet  dance),  which  they  perform  in  this  manner:  Orna- 
menting a  large  pipe  with  plumes  of  feathers,  they  place  it 
in  the  middle  of  the  chosen  spot,  with  a  certain  kind  of  ven- 
eration. One  of  the  company  arises  and  begins  to  dance,, 
then  yields  his  place  to  a  second,  he  to  a  third,  and  so  on,  in 
sinp^le  succession.  One  would  take  this  dance  for  an  imita- 
tion of  a  ballet,  danced  to  the  notes  of  a  drum.  The  dancer 
goes  through  a  sham  battle,  at  the  same  time  keeping  time 
to  the  notes  of  the  drum  in  the  various  positions  of  the  body, 
Ae  prepares  his  weapons,  takes  off  his  clothes,  runs  about  in 
search  of  the  enemy,  he  discovers  him,  withdraws,  then 
approaches;  now  he  sounds  the  war-whoop,  kills  the  enemy, 
tears  off  his  scalp  and  returns,  chanting  the  song  of  victory. 
All  this  proceeds  with  astonisihing  precision,  promptitude 
and  agility.  After  all  have  thus  danced  around  the  pipe,  it 
is  presented  to  the  foremost  man  of  the  assembly  to  smoke, 
then  to  another,  and  so  on  successively  until  all  have  had  the 
honor.     This  ceremony  has  the  same  signification  as  when  at 

1  Pronounced  li-lee-moo-ek.  the  lllinoifi,  some  of  whom  came  all  the  way  to 
Chequaraeji-on  Bay  to  trade  with  the  French  and  Itulians.  A  band  of  that  tribe 
resided  on  the  Upper  Fox  river,  not  far  from  the  site  of  Portai?e  City.  See 
"Hist,  and  Biog.  Notes."' 

3  Father  AUouez  inranr.  the  Mississippi,  the  course  of  which  river  was  at 
that  time  unknown,  hence  Marquette's  voyajfe  in  1673. 


67 


»» 


a  social  gathering  in 'France  all  drink  successively  out  of  one^ 
and  the  same  glass.  The  pipe,  moreover,  is  left  in  the  hands 
of  the  chief  of  the  tribe,  as  a  sacred  deposit  and  an  assured 
guarantee  of  the  peace  and  union  which  shall  always  exist 
between  them  as  long  as  this  pipe — the  calumet  of  peace — 
remains  in  his  possession. 

Among  all  the  manitous  to  whom  they  oflfer  sacrifice, 
special  worship  is  paid  to  one  particular  mp  "'  •  i  more  ex- 
cellent, they  say,  than  all  the  rest,  because  it  h  1.  who  made 
all  things.  They  have  an  intense  desire  to  set  irJs  greatest 
of  all  manitous,  and  hence  they  observe  long  fleets,  hoping 
to  obtain  by  this  means,  that  God  will  show  himself  to  them 
during  their  sleep.  If  it  happen  that  they  see  him  (as  they 
imagine)  they  consider  themselves  lucky,  and  promise  them- 
selves a  long  life. 

All  these  tribes  of  the  South  have  this  same  desire  to  see 
God,  which  is  doubtless  of  great  advantage  to  promote  their 
conversion,  for  all  that  remains  to  be  done  is  to  instruct  them 
as  to  the  manner  in  which  we  are  to  serve  him,  in  order  to- 
see  him  and  be  happy. 

I  have  here  announced  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  to  eighty 
persons  of  this  tribe,  and  they  have  carried  and  published 
it  to  all  the  country  of  the  South,  with  appjlause,  so  that  I 
can  say  on  this  mission  I  have  worked  the  least  and  pro- 
duced the  greatest  effect.  These  pagans  honor  our  Lord, 
whose  picture  I  gave  them,  in  their  own  peculiar  way.  Having 
exposed  the  sacred  image  in  the  most  conspicuous  place,, 
they  prepare  a  great  feast,  and  the  master  of  this  banquet^ 
addressing  the  image,  says:  "It  is  in  thy  honor,  0  God- 
man,  that  we  make  this  feast;  it  is  to  Thee  we  offer  these 
viands." 

Among  these  people,  it  ai)pears  to  me,  there  is  the  most 
beautiful  field  for  the  Gospel.  If  I  had  had  leisure  and  con- 
venience, I  would  have  gone  to  their  place  of  abode,  to  see, 
with  my  own  eyes,  all  the  good  that  is  told  of  them. 

I  find  those  with  whom  I  have  had  intercourse,  to  be 
affable  and  humane.  It  is  said,  when  they  meet  a  stranger, 
they  raise  a  cry  of  joy,  caress  him,  and  render  him  every 
proof  of  friendship  of  which  they  are  capable.  I  have  bap- 
tized but  one  infant  of  this  tribe.  The  seeds  of  faith  that  I 
have  sown  in  their  souls  will  yield  fruits  when  it  shall  please 
the  Master  of  the  vineyard  to  gather  them.     Their  country 


1 

1 

• 

1 

1 

1 

-'^^^^^H 

1 

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[      1 

1 

\ 

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TV 


68 

is  hot  and  they  raise  corn  twice  a  year.  There  are  rattle- 
snakes there,  which  are  often  the  cause  of  death,  as  these 
people  do  not  know  of  any  antidote.  They  have  a  high 
■estimate  of  medicines,  offering  them  sacrifices,  as  to  great 
manitous.  They  have  no  forests  in  their  country,  but  very 
large  prairies  on  which  wild  cattle,  deer,  bears  and  other  ani- 
mals feed  in  great  numbers. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


l!  " 


On  the  Mission  op  the  Nadouessiouek.^ 

They  are  people  living  westward  from  these  quarters, 
towards  the  large  river  called  Messipi.  They  are  about  forty 
or  fifty  leagues  distant  in  a  prairie-country  abounding  in  all 
kinds  ot  game.  They  have  fields  in  which  they  do  not  plant 
Indian  corn,  but  tobacco  only.  Providence  has  supplied  them 
"with  a  kind  of  marsh  rye  (wild  rice)  which  they  go  and 
gather  towards  the  end  of  summer  in  certain  small  lakes, 
where  it  grows  abindantly.  They  know  so  well  how  to 
prepare  it,  that  it  is  very  agreeable  to  the  taste  and  very 
nourishing.  They  offered  me  some,  when  I  was  at  the 
extremity  of  Lake  Tracy,  where  I  saw  them.  They  do  not 
use  guns,  but  only  the  bow  and  arrow  with  which  they  shoot 
very  dexterously.  Their  cabins  are  not  covered  with  bark, 
but  with  deer-skins,  well-dressed,  and  sewed  so  nicely  that 
the  cold  cannot  penetrate.  These  ppople^  above  all  others  are 
savage  and  ferocious.  They  appear  dumfounded  in  our  pres- 
"ence,  like  statues.  They  do  not  cease  to  be  warlike,  having 
waged  war  with  their  neighbors,  by  whom  they  are  very 
much  feared.  They  speak  an  altogether  strange  language. 
The  Indians  here  do  noi  understand  them  ;  hence  1  was 
obliged  to  speak  to  them  by  an  interpreter,  who,  being  a  pagan, 
•did  not  do  what  I  would  have  wished  (that  is,  he  did  not 
interpret  well  what  the  Father  said.)  I  have  not  failed  to 
take  from  the  devil  one  innocent  soul  of  that  country. 
It  was  a  little  child  that  went  to  paradise  shortly  after  I 
baptized  it.  "A  solix  ortu  usque  aa  occasum  laudahile  nomen 
Domini.''^      God   will  give  us  an  oppoi-tunity  to  announcb 

1    See  "Hist,  and  Blogr.  Notes,"  where  the  reftder  will  find  an  account  of 
this  most  warlike  tribe,  "The  Iroquois  of  the  West." 


m 


69 

hio  name  in  that  country,  when  it  shall  please  his  Divine 
Majesty  to  show  mercy  to  those  people;  they  are  almost  at 
the  end  of  the  earth  so  to  speak.  Farther  on,  towards  sun- 
set, there  are  other  tribes  called  Karesi,  beyond  whose  coun- 
try, they  say,  the  land  comes  to  an  end,  and  nothing  is  seen 
but  a  large  lake,  the  waters  of  which  are  stinking;  it  is  thu& 
they  speak  of  the  sea. 

Between  north  and  west  there  is  a  tribe  that  eat  raw  meat, 
contenting  themselves  with  holding  it  to  the  fire  in  their 
hands.  Beyond  the  country  of  this  people  lies  the  sea  of  the 
north.  Moreover  in  that  direction  are  the  Kilistinons,  whose 
rivers  empty  into  the  Bay  of  Hudson.  We  have  knowledge^ 
besides,  of  the  Indians  who  inhabit  the  regions  of  the  south 
as  far  as  the  sea.  So  there  remains  only  a  small  tract  of  land^ 
and  only  a  few  tribes,  to  whom  the  gospel  has  not  been 
announced,  as  yet,  if  we  can  believe  what  the  Indians  have 
told  us  several  times  in  regard  to  these  matters. 


^r 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


On  the  Mission  of  the  Kilistinons^  and  that  of  Outchi- 

BOUEC* 

The  Kilistinons  have  their  more  ordinary  place  of  abode 
in  th  '  vicinity  of  the  Sea  of  the  North.  They  navigate  a  river 
that  empties  into  a  large  bay,  which  we  suppose  very  proba- 
bly to  be  that  marked  on  the  map  with  the  name  of  Hudson; 
for  those  that  I  have  seen  from  that  country  have  told  me 
they  have  knowledge  of  a  ship,  and  an  old  man  amongst  oth- 
ers, told  me  he  had  seen  it  himself  at  the  entrance  of  the  river 
of  the  Assinipoualac,*  a  tribe  allied  with  the  Kilistinons, 
whose  country  is  still  more  towards  the  north. 

He  told  me,  besides,  that  he  had  seen  a  house  that  Europeans 
had  built  on  the  mainland  of  boards  and  pieces  of  wood;  that 

1  Kilistinons,  sometimes  also  called  Kenisteno,  are  Indians  in  British 
America,  now  generally  called  Crees.    See  "  Hist,  and  Blog.  Notes." 

3  Pronounced  Oo-chee-boo-ek— Chippewas.  They  were  once  a  large  and 
warlike  tribe,  the  deadly  foes  of  the  Sioux  and  Foxes,  but  always  friendly  to 
the  French,  who  freely  intermarried  with  them;  hence  the  many  half-breeds 
with  French  names.    See  "  Hist,  etc." 

3  The  Assineboines,  from  "AsBin,"  a  stone— and  "  Bolnes"  or  "Ebolnes" 
a  corruption  of  "  Bwan"— Sioux. 


70 


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m 


ill 


m 

I'l'-'i 


hm 


131 1 


they  held  books  in  their  hands,  such  as  the  one  he  saw  me 
have,  when  telling  me  this.  He  spoke  to  me  of  another 
tribe,  adjoining  that  of  the  Assinipoualac,  who  eat  people, 
and  live  only  on  raw  meat,  but  they  themselves  ate  eaten  by 
bears  of  a  horrible  size,  all  red,  which  have  prodigiously  long 
claws;  it  is  considered  probable  they  are  lions. 

As  to  the  Kilistinons,  they  appear  to  me  extremely  docile 
and  of  a  good,  kind  disposition,  not  common  among  these 
savages.  They  are  more  nomadic  than  all  the  other  tribes. 
They  have  no  fixed  abode,  nb  (cultivated)  fields  nor  villages. 
They  only  live  of  hunting  and  a  little  oats  (wild  rice)  which 
they  gather  in  swampy  places.  They  are^worshippers  of  the 
sun,  to  which  they  generally  offer  sacrifice,  attaching  a  dog 
to  the  top  of  a  pole,  which  they  leave  hanging  there  until 
he  rots. 

They  speak  almost  the  same  language  as  the  tribe  formerly 
called  Poissons-blanc — White  Fish — and  the  Indians  of  Ta- 
doussac.  God  gave  me  the  grace  to  underatand  them  and  to 
be  sufficiently  understood  by  them  for  their  instruction.  They 
had  never  heard  of  the  faith,  and  the  novelty  of  the  thing 
as  also  their  docility  of  mind  caused  them  to  listen  to  me 
with  very  great  attention.  They  have  promised  me  to 
worship  only  Him  who  is  the  Creator  of  the  sun  and  of  the 
world.  The  wandering  life  they  lead  made  me  postpone  the 
baptism  of  those  whom  I  saw  (otherwise)  very  well  disposed 
and  I  only  conferred  this  sacrement  upon  a  little  girl  lately 
born. 

I  hope  this  mission  will  some  day  produce  fruit  in  pro- 
portion to  the  labor  which  will  be  bestowed  upon  it,  when 
our  fathers  will  go  and  winter  with  them,  as  they  do-  at 
Quebec  with  the  Indians  ui  Tadoussac.  They  invited  me  to 
do  so,  but  I  cannot  devote  myself  entirely  to  one  tribe  and 
deprive  so  many  others  of  the  assistance  I  owe  them,  as  they 
are  nearest  this  place  and  best  prepared  for  the  gospel. 

On  the  mission  of  the  Outchibouec— the  French  call  them 
"Saulteurs,"  because  their  country  is  the  '^Sault,"  by  which 
Lake  Tracy  (Superior)  empties  into  the  Lake  of  the  Hurons. 
They  speak  the  ordinary  Algonquin  and  are  easily  under- 
stood. I  have  preached  the  faith  to  them  on  different  occa- 
sions, when  I  met  with  them,  but  especially  at  the  extremity 
of  our  great  lake,  where  I  stopped  with  them  a  whole  month, 
during  which  I  instructed  them  in  all  our  mysteries  and 


baptiz 

•died 

fruits 


On  te 

OF 

The 

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For 

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strongt] 

time  of 

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71 

baptized  twenty  of  their  children,  as  also  one  sick  adult,  who 
•died  the  day  after  his  baptism,  carrying  to  heaven  the  first 
fruits  of  his  nation. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

On  the  Mission  of  the  Nipissiriniens  and  op  the  Voyage 
OP  Father  Allouez  to  Lake  Alimibegong  (Nepigon). 

The  Nipissiriniens  were  formerly  instructed  by  our  fathers, 
who  dwelt  in  the  country  of  the  Hurons.  These  poor  peo- 
ple, of  whom  great  numbers  were  Christians,  have  been 
compelled  on  account  of  the  incursions  of  the  Iroquois  to 
flee  as  far  as  Lake  Alimibegong,  which  is  but  fifty  or  sixty 
leagues  fron  the  Sea  of  the  North  (Hudson  Bay). 

For  almost  twenty  years  they  have  not  seen  a  pastor,  nor 
heard  speak  of  God.  I  thought  I  owed  a  part  of  my  labors 
to  this  old  mission,  trusting  that  a  voyage  I  would  make  to 
their  new  home,  would  be  followed  by  the  blessings  of  heaven. 

On  the  I6th  day  of  May  of  -this  year,  1667, 1  embarked 
in  a  canoe  with  two  Indians,  w^ho  were  to  serve  me  as  guides 
during  the  whole  of  this  voyage.  Having  met  on  our  way 
some  forty  Indians  from  the  Bay  of  the  North,  I  imparted 
to  them  the  first  tidings  of  the  faith,  for  which  they  thanked 
me  with  some  show  of  politeness. 

Continuing  our  voyage,  on  the  17th  we  crossed  over  a  part 
of  our  great  lake^  (Superior)  paddling  for  twelve  hours  with- 
out intermission.  God  assisted  me  very  sensibly ;  for  there 
being  but  three  in  our  canoe,  I  had  to  paddle  with  all  my 
strength,  together  with  the  Indians,  in  order  not  to  lose  any 
time  of  the  calm,  without  which  we  would  be  in  greac  danger, 
being  all  of  us  tired  out  with  the  exertion  and  hunger.  Not- 
withstanding all  this,  we  lay  down  to  sleep  without  supper, 
and  the  next  day  we  contented  ourselves  with  a  meagre  re- 
past of  Indian-corn  and  water;  for  the  wind  and  rain  pre- 
vented our  Indians  from  casting  their  nets. 


1  Father  Allouez  left  his  mission  at  the  head  of  Chequamesron  Bay  on  the 
16th  of  May,  and  on  the  17th  crossed  the  lake,  probably  starting'  from  Sand 
Island.  As  it  took  them  twelve  hours  hard  paddling  to  reach  the  North  Shor  ;, 
we  may  safely  conclude  that  the  lake  must  be  some  forty  miles  wide  where 
they  crossed;  a  risky  undertaking  in  a  frail  birch  bark  oanoel 


72 


fi 


Oh  the  19th,  the  fine  weather  being  inviting,  we  made- 
eighteen  leagues,  rowing  from  day-break  until  after  sun- 
down without  stopping  or  disembarking. 

On  the  20th,  having  found  nothing  in  our  nets,  we  con- 
tinued our  way,  grinding  some  grains  of  dry  corn  with  our 
teeth.  The  next  day  (21st)  God  refreshed  us  with  two  small 
fishes,  which  gave  us  a  little  life.  The  benediction  of  heaven 
was  multiplied  the  following  day  (22d),  for  our  Indians  took 
such  a  lucky  draught  of  sturgeon,  that  they  were  obliged  to 
leave  some  of  them  on  the  beach. 

On  the  23d,  coasting  along  the  shores  of  this  great  lake,  on 
the  north  side  we  proceeded  from  island  to  island,  for  these 
are  very  numerous.  There  is  one  of  them  at  least  twenty 
leagues  long,  where  pieces  of  ore  are  found,  considered  by 
the  French  to  be  true  red  copper,  they  having  tested  its 
quality. 

After  traveling  a  long  distance  on  the  lake  (from  ]6th-25th 
of  May),  we  finally  left  it  on  the  25th  of  this  month  of  May^ 
and  entered  a  river  full  of  rapids  and  falls,  so  very  numer- 
ous that  even  our  Indians  could  not  proceed  any  farther. 
Having  learned  that  Lake  Alimibegong  was  still  frozen,  they 
willingly  took  a  rest  of  two  days,  to  which  they  were  com- 
pelled by  necessity. 

While  we  were  advancing  toward  our  destination,  we  from 
time  to  time  met  Nipissirinien  Indians,  who  had  strayed 
.  away  from  the  place  of  their  habitation,  to  seek  a  living  in 
the  woods.  Having  assembled  quite  a  number  of  them  for 
the  feast  of  Pentecost,  I  prepared  them,  by  a  long  instruction, 
to  understand  the  holy  sacrifice  of  the  mass  which  I  cele- 
brated in  a  chapel  constructed  of  green  boughs.  They  heard 
it  with  as  great  piety  and  gravity  as  our  Indians  of  Quebec 
do  in  our  chapel  at  Sillery.  This  gave  me  the  sweetest  re- 
freshment I  nad  during  this  voyage,  and  consoled  me 
abundantly  for  all  past  hardships. 

I  must  here  relate  a  remarkable  thing,  that  happened  not 
long  ago.  Two  women,  a  mother  and  her  daughter,  after  be- 
ing instructed  in  the  faith,  have  always  had  recourse  to  God 
and  have  continually  received  extraordinary  help  from  Him» 
Recently  they  again  experienced  that  God  never  abandons 
those  who  confide  in  Him.  They  had  been  captured  by  the 
Iroquois  and  had  luckily  escaped  the  fire  and  cruelties  of 
those  savages.    But  shortly  afterwards  they  fell  into  their 


73 

hands  a  second  time,  so  that  no  hope  of  further  escape  could 
be  entertained.  However,  seeing  themselves  alone  one  day, 
with  a  si  igle  Iroquois  Indian  who  had  remained  to  guard 
them,  whilst  the  others  wre  gone  to  hunt,  the  daughter  said 
to  her  mother:  "  Now  is  the  time  to  rid  ourselves  of  this 
guard  and  flee."  So  she  asked  the  Iroquois  for  a  knife  to 
work  at  a  beaver- skin  which  she  had  been  ordered  to  dress. 
Hereupon  having  implored  the  help  of  Heaven,  she  plunged 
the  knife  into  the  bosom  of  the  Iroquois,  and  her  mother 
struck  him  on  the  head  with  a  stick  of  wood.  Leaving  him 
a  corpse,  according  to  all  appearance,  they  took  some  pro- 
visions and  hastened  on  their  way  to  their  own  country, 
which  they  finally  reached  in  safety. 

We  were  six  days  traveling  from  island  to  island,  seeking 
for  a  passage,  and,  finally,  after  many  turns,  we  arrived  at 
the  village  of  the  Nipissiriniens  on  the  3d  of  June.  It  is 
chiefly  inhabited  by  idolatrous  Indians  and  some  Christians 
of  former  time.  Amongst  others,  I  found  twenty  persons 
who  made  public  profession  of  Christianity.  I  was  not  in 
want  of  employment  among  both  the  one  and  the  other 
party,  during  the  fifteen  days  that  we  stayed  with  them,  and 
I  labored  as  much  as  my  health,  ruined  by  the  hardships  of 
the  voyage,  allowed  me.  I  found  more  opposition  there  to 
baptizing  their  children  than  anywhere  else;  but  the  more 
opposition  the  devil  makes,  the  more  should  we  try  to  con- 
found him.  T  think  he  does  not  at  all  like  to  see  me  making 
this  last  voyage,  which  is  about  five  hundred  leagues,  going 
and  returning,  including  the  turns  out  of  the  way ,  which  we 
were  obliged  to  make. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


Father  Allouez  Goes  to  Quebec — He  Return^  to  the 

outaouacs. 

During  the  two  years  that  Father  Allouez  has  dwelt  with 
the  Outaouacs,  he  has  become  acquainted  with  the  customs 
of  all  the  tribes  he  has  seen,  and  has  carefully  studied  the 
means  to  facilitate  their  conversion.  There  is  work  there  for 
a  good  number  of  missionaries,  but  nothing  to  support  them. 
The  Indians  live  part  of  the  year  on  the  bark  of  trees, 


74 


'my  it 


t 

V 


another  part  on  ground  fish-bones,  and  the  rest  of  the  time 
on  fish  or  Indian-corn,  sometimes  having  only  a  little  of  the 
one  or  the  other,  at  other  times  enough.  The  Father  has 
learned  from  experience  that  even  a  brazen  constitution  could 
not  hold  out  amid  continual  labors  and  hardships  so  great, 
with  nourishment  so  very  scanty ;  therefore  he  considers  it 
necessary  to  have  at  those  places  men  ot  courage  and  piety, 
to  work  for  the  support  of  the  missionaries,  either  by  culti- 
vating the  land,  or  by  industrious  fishing  and  hunting. 
They  are  to  build  dwelling-houses  and  erect  chapels,  in  order 
to  astonish  those  Indians  who  have  never  seen  anything 
more  beautiful  than  their  bark  wigwams. 

With  this  view  the  Father  determined  to  go  to  Quebec 
himself  in  order  to  promote  the  execution  of  these  designs. 

He  arrived  there  on  the  3d  day  of  August  of  this  year, 
1667.  Having  stopped  there  only  tw«  days,  he  arranged 
matters  with  diligence  so  great  that  he  was  ready  to  depart 
from  Montreal  with  twenty  canoes  of  Indians,  with  whom  he 
had  come,  and  who  awaited  him  at  that  island  with  great 
impatience. 

His  attendance  consisted  of  seven  persons,  namely,'  him- 
self and  Father  Louis  Nicolas,  to  labor  conjointly  for  the 
conversion  of  these  people,  and  one  of  our  brothers,  together 
with  four  men  to  work  for  the  support  of  the  missionaries. 
But  God  willed  not  the  success  of  this  undertaking;  for, 
when  about  to  embark,  the  Indians  were  in  such  ill  humor 
that  only  the  fathers  and  one  of  their  men  could  find  place 
in  their  canoes.  But  so  unprovided  are  they  with  provisions, 
clothes  and  all  the  other  necessaries  of  life,  which  indeed  they 
had  in  readiness,  but  which  could  not  be  taken  on  board, 
that  there  is  good  reason  to  doubt  whether  they  can  reach  the 
country  to  which  they  are  bound,  or  whether,  after  arriving 
there,  they  can  subsist  long. 


M 


75 
CHAPTER  XIX. 


On  the  Mission  of  the  Holy  Ghost  Amongst  the   Ou- 

TAOUACS. 

"  It  is  not  necessary  to  repeat  the  enumeration  of  all  the 
missionary  stations  dependant  upon  this  mission,  of  each 
one  of  which  was  spoken  of  in  the  last  "Relation."*  Suffice 
it  to  say  that  labors,  famine,  want  of  all  things,  bad  treat- 
ment on  the  part  of  the  savapes,  ridicule  from  the  idolators 
— such  are  the  most  precious  lot  of  those  missions. 

Since  these  people,  for  the  greater  part,  have  never  had  any 
intercourse  with  Europeans,  it  is  difficult  to  imagine  the 
excess  of  insolence  to  which  their  barbarism  impels  them,  and 
the  patience  one  must  be  armed  with  to  bear  such  treatment. 

It  is  necessary  to  deal  with  twenty  or  thirty  tribes,  diiFer- 
ing  in  language,  manners,  and  policy.  All  must  be  endured 
from  their  bad  humor  and  brutality,  in  order  to  gain  them 
by  sweetness  and  affection.  It  is  necessary  in  a  measure  to 
make  oneself  an  Indian  with  those  Indians  :  to  subsist  some- 
times on  a  kind  of  mosfi  which  grows  on  rocks,  at  other  times 
on  pulverized  fish  hones  which  take  the  place  of  flour — occa- 
sionally on  nothing  at  all,  passing  three  or  Jour  days  without  eat- 
ing, like  the  Indians  themselves,  whose  stomachs  are  accus- 
tomed to  such  hardships  of  starvation  ;  but  they,  without 
incommoding  themselves,  can  eat  enough  in  one  day  for 
eight,  when  they  have  an  abundance  of  game  or  fish.  Fathers 
Claude  Allouez  and  Louis  Nicolas  have  passed  through  these 
trials,  and  if  penance  and  mortification  contribute  much  to- 
wards the  conversion  of  souls,  they  assuredly  lead  a  life  more 
austere  than  that  ol  the  greatest  penitents  of  Thebaide,  and 
yet  do  not  cease  to  devote  themselves  indefatigably  to  their 
apostolic  functions — to  baptize  children,  instruct  adults,  con- 
sole the  sick  and  prepare  them  for  heaven,  to  overthrow 
idolatry  and  make  the  sound  of  their  word  heard  in  this 
extreme  end  of  the  world. 

Father  Marquette'  has  gone  to  render  assistance,  together 
with  Brother  Louis  le  Boeme,  and  we  hope  the  sweat  of  these 

1  Relation  of  1668,  pp.  21,  22. 

2  Marquette  went  as  far  as  Sault  Ste.  Marie  in  1688  and  took  charge  of  the 
Indians  assembled  there  until  late  in  the  summer  of  the  following'  year.  He 
arrived  at  the  head  of  Chequamefron  Bay  Sept.  13th,  16tf9.  See  a  short  sketch 
of  his  life  in  "  Hist,  and  BioK.  Notes." 


\\ 


76 


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ih 


'  °n 


generous  missionaries  bedewing  those  lands  will  render  thorn 
fertile  for  heaven.  They  have  baptized  within  a  year  eighty- 
children,  of  whom  many  are  in  paradise.  It  is  this  that 
assuages  all  their  sufferings  and  fortifies  them  to  undergo  all 
the  labors  of  that  mission. 

Providence,  moreover,  permits  them  to  taste  sweet  conso- 
lation when  Indians  get  sick  unto  death,  whom  they  then 
prej)are  for  eternal  life. 

This  is  what  happened  in  the  person  of  one  of  the  fore- 
most men  of  those  people,  who,  having  been  baptized  several 
years  ago,  had  no  fixed  dwelling  place,  but  leading  a  nomadic 
life,  roamed  throughout  tht»He  great  forests  from  end  to  end, 
over  five  or  six  hundred  leagues  of  country.  Nevertheless 
God  so  well  directed  the  last  year  of  his  life  that,  contrary  to 
his  custom,  he  resolved  to  spend  the  winter  near  the  resi- 
dence of  Father  \llouez,  no  doubt  through  a  presentiment  of 
his  happiness,  .  order  to  be  assisted  in  his  last  sickness  by 
this  good  Father,  who  did  not  fail  to  attrnd  this  poor  old 
man.  When  lie  was  at  the  point  of  death,  he  prepared  a 
farewell  feast  for  a  great  assembly  which  had  been  convoked 
for  that  purpose  from  different  tribes.  This  was  done  to  keep 
up  a  custom  of  theirs,  of  which  he  made  good  use  in  the 
interests  of  faith.  He  addressed  this  multitude  in  a  dying 
voice  it  is  true,  but  in  the  tone  of  a  chief  and  in  energetic 
words,  declaring  that  he  had  long  lived  a  Christian,  and,  in 
dying  a  Christian,  he  felt  assured  of  gaining  the  eternal  happi- 
ness promised  to  all  believers  ;  but  that  they  who  were  not 
willing  to  hear  the  word  of  God  would  be  tormented  by 
demons  after  death  more  cruelly,  beyond  comparison,  than 
an  Iroquois  is  tortured  who  has  fallen  into  their  hands;  that 
for  the  rest,  he  died  willingly  in  the  hope  of  paradise,  and 
admonished  them,  if  they  were  wise,  to  defer  no  longer  to 
follow  his  example.  After  these  words,  dictated  by  the  love 
he  had  for  his  countrymen,  he  thought  in  good  earnest  of 
himself,  and,  having  confessed  as  often  as  four  times,  he  gave 
up  his  soul,  leaving  us  every  reason  to  believe  that  God  had 
shown  him  mercy. 

Other  examples  of  a  similar  nature  might  be  related  to 
show  the  ways  of  divine  Providence  for  the  salvation  of  Kis 
elect.  For  us  it  remains  to  cooperate  faithfully  with  this 
great  work  and  to  go  in  search  of  those  straying  sheep,  how- 
ever far  away  they  may  happen  lo  be  and  whatever  trouble 


77 

it  may  cost  us;  too  happy  shall  we  be  to  consume  our  lives 
in  this  good  work. 

Some  i>f  these  tribes,  it  i?  true,  have  appeare<'  at  our  :  et- 
tlemente  (on  ^he  St.  Liiwrence)  this  summer  (of  1668)  to  the 
number  of  mon  than  six  bundred,  but  this  was  like  a  mere 
streak  of  lightning,  to  carry  on  their  little  traffic  with  our 
French  people,  and  such  a  time  in  not  suitable  to  instruct 
them.  It  is  necessary  therefore  to  follow  them  to  their  homes 
and  accommodate  oneself  to  their  ways,  however  ridiculous 
they  may  seem,  in  order  to  diaw  them  to  our  way  of  think- 
ing and  acting.  And  as  God  made  himptOf  mnn  in  order,  as 
it  were,  to  make  gods  of  men,  so  a  missionary  does  not  fear 
to  make  himself,  ho  to  say,  an  Indian  with  the  Indians,  in 
order  to  make  them  Christians  :  ^^  Omnibus  omnia /actus  svm^ 
"I  have  become  all  to  all."  r 


CHAPTER  XX. 


•On  the  Mission  of  La  Pointe  du  Saint  Esprit  in  the  Cotntry 
OF  THE  Algonquin  Outaouacs. 

"*The  mission  of  the  Outaouacs  is  at  present  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  of  New  Fiance.  The  want  of  all  things,  the 
brutal  character  of  the  Indians  there,  its  remoteness  of  three 
or  four  hundred  leagues,  the  number  of  tribes  there,  and  the 
promise  recently  made  to  Father  Allouez,  that  a  whole  tribe 
would  embrace  the  Christian  faith,  after  holding  a  general 
council;  all  those  things  awaken  a  most  ardent  desire  for  that 
mission  in  the  hearts  of  all  our  missionaries. 

Father  Allouez  having  come  down  to  Quebec  this  year' 
(1669)  in  order  to  hand  over  to  Mourfieur  de  Courcelles  the 
captive  Iroquois,  whom  of  his  own  accord  he  had  redeemed 
from  the  Outaouacs,  and  to  ask  assistance  from  our  Fathers, 
the  lot  happily  fell  U})<)n  Father  Claude  Dablon,  who  has 
been  sent  to  be  the  Superior  of  all  those  upper  missions,,  and 
this,  notwithstanding  the  great  amount  of  good  he  effected 
here  and  the  pressing  need  they  had  of  his  services. 

1  Relation  of  1(368  p.  17-30,  See  "Hist,  and  biog.  notes"  for  short  notice  on 
Father  Claude  Dablon. 

2  After  this  second  voyage  of  Father  Allouez  to  Quebec,  in  1669,  he  did  not 
return  to  his  mission  at  the  head- of  Chequaniegon  Bay,  but,  after  arriving  at 
tSault  Sto  Marie,  he  remained  there  till  Nov.  bd,  when  he  departed  for  the  Bay 
of  the  Puants  (Green  Bay,  where  he  arrived  on  the  2d  of  Dec.  1669. 


I' 


i 


m. 


m 


ff 


78 

The  first  settlement  to  be  met  with,  of  tliose  upper  uibes^ 
who  are  ahnost  all  Algcnquins,  is  the  Sault,  more  than  two 
hundred  leagues  from  Quey)ec.  It  is  there  our  missionaries 
have  fixed  their  abode,  it  being  the  most  convenient  place 
for  their  Apostolic  labors,  na  the  other  tribes  are  in  the  habit 
of  going  there,  for  several  ;  eare  since,  in  ordei  thence  to  jiro- 
ceed  to  Montreal  or  Quebec,  to  trade.  The  missionaries 
have  locate(i  at  the  foot  of  the  rapids  of  the  river  on  the 
south  side,  about  the  46th  degree  of  latitude.  It  is  a  good 
thing  the  cold  is  not  as  great  there  as  here,  although  we  are 
almost  in  the  same  degree  of  latitude. 

Another  place,  one  hundred  and  fifty  leagues  from  the 
Sault,  which  has  been  particularly  chosen  for  pre^^ching  the 
gospel,  is  called  La  Pointe  dii  Saint  Esprit.  The  occasion  ot 
establishing  that  mission  was  the  Iroquois  war,  which  drove 
the  greater  part  of  the  Indians  of  the  upper  country  from 
their  native  land  and  induced  them  to  assemble  there.  Father 
Allouez  found  this  great  number  of  tribes  in  one  village,  and 
he  took  advantage  of  this  flight  which  had  brought  together 
so  many  people  and  which  divine  Providence  had  thus  ar- 
ranged for  him,  to  announce  our  mysteries  to  these  tribes,^ 
and  thus  justify  the  divine  word;  there  being  no  place  so 
remote  in  this  New  World,  wherein  this  Father  has  not  tried 
to  make  the  gospel  heard. 

God  has  found  some  elect  amongst  every  tribe  during  the 
time  in  which  the  fear  of  the  Iroquois  kept  them  assembled 
there  (at  La  Pointe  du  Saint  Esprit).  But,  finally,  the  danger 
having  passed,  each  tribe  returned  to  its  country;  some  to- 
the  Bay  of  the  Puants  (Green  Bay),  others  to  the  Sault,. 
where  our  missionaries  have  determined  henceforth  to  make 
their  headquarters.  The  rest  have  remained  at  La  Pointe  du 
Saint  Esprit.  It  is  designed  to  build  three  Churches  in  these 
three  principal  places  of  this  extreme  end  of  the  world.  Two 
in  fact,  are  already  erected,  namely,  the  one  at  La  Pointe  du 
Saint  Esprit  and  Ihe  other  at  the  Sault.  Father  Allouez  is 
preparing  himtelf  to  go  to  the  Bay  of  the  Puants  on  his  re- 
turn from  Quebec,  there  to  establish  the  third  Church. 

Never  did  the  gospel  have  a  more  beautiful  opening  in; 
that  country  and  nothing  is  wanting  there  at  present,  except 
laborers;  for  the  harvest  is  as  abundant  as  it  can  be.  The- 
Iroquois  tribe,  to  whom  three  of  their  captive  countrvMen 
have  been  restored  and  to  whom  the  rest  are  also  to  be  sur-^ 


n 


79 

rendered,  will  be  Very  glad  to  keep  peace  with  the  Outa- 
ouacH,  as  they  are  at  war  with  the  MohlKans'  and  Andastogues. 
They  even  write  to  us  from  Montreal  that  the  Onnontague- 
ronnons  will  next  spring  go  to  the  Sault,  as  embassadors,  to 
confirm  the  peace  by  presents.  Thus  the  wav  will  be  open 
to  French  commerce  and  gospel-laborers.  Still,  those  people 
being  of  a  very  changeable  mind,  we  have  always  reason  to 
fear  that  peace  will  not  be  of  long  duration. 

As  La  Pointe  du  Saint  Esprit  has  until  now  (16G9) 
been  the  seat  of  all  those  upper  missions,  I  am  about  to 
speak  of  the  progress  of  the  Gospel  and  the  establishment  of 
tne  kingdom  of  God  in  that  place.  I  must  not  omit,  how- 
ever, to  speak  at  the  same  time,  of  the  great  obstacles  that 
are  encountered  there. 

The  dissimulation,  which  is  natural  to  those  Indians,  and 
a  certain  deferential  disposition,  with  which  children  in  that 
country  are  brought  up,  induce  them  to  approve  (apparently) 
of  all  that  is  said  to  them,  and  prevents  them  from  ever  con- 
tradicting the  sentiments  of  others,  even  when  they  know 
that  the  statements  made  to  them  are  false.  To  tnis  dis- 
simulation must  be  added  obstinacy  in  adhering  to  their 
own  ideas  and  desires.  This  obliges  our  Fathers  not  to 
receive  adults  for  baptism  very  readily,  who,  moreover^ 
have  been  raised  in  idolatry  and  libertinism. 

"But,  finally,  God  gave  me  to  understand,  after  many 
trials,"  says  Father  Allouez  in  his  journal  and  in  one  of  his 
letters,  written  from  the  Sault  on  the  6th  of  June,  1669,  "that 
it  has  pleased  his  Divine  Majesty  to  show  mercy  to  a  par- 
ticular tribe,  the  whole  of  which  is  desirous  to  embrace  the 
Christian  faith.  This  tribe,  called  Queues  Coupeeg  (or  Kis- 
kakong),  is  one  of  the  most  populous — a  peaceable  tribe,  an 
enemy  of  war.  Otherwise,  these  people  are  so  inclined  to 
raillery,  however,  that  they  have  hitherto  ridiculed  our  faith, 
as  if  it  were  mere  children's  play.  They  received  their  first 
knowledge  of  the  Gospel  at  the  great  Lake  Huron,  their  real 
country,  at  the  time  our  Fathers  were  there.  They  were  sub- 
sequently instructed  in  their  present  place  of  abode  (Lake 
Superior  country)  by  the  aged  Father  Menard;    and  these 

1  Mohikan,  Mohegan.Chippewa  "Ma-ln-j?an"  Wolf,  one  of  the  "Six  Nations" 
of  New  York,  so  called  because  the  wolf  was  their  totem,  as  the  bear  was 
that  of  the  Mohawks.  The  Stockbrklge  Indians  of  Wisconsin  claim  to  be  de- 
scendants of  the  ancient  MobJkans,  or  Mo-he-kun-nucks. 


80 


il 


m 


ti'11 


Hi 


[ill '  "PJI 


instructiona  were  finally  continued  by  Father  AUouez  during 
the  two  or  three  years  that  he  dwelt  with  them  (at  La 
Pointe  du  Sunt  Esprit).  They  did  not,  however,  embrace 
the  faith  until  last  summer,  when  the  sachems  of  the  tribe 
harangued  '.n  its  favor  in  their  wigwams  and  at  their  counciis 
and  feasts. 

"  It  is  this,"  says  Father  All^uez,  "that  obliged  me  to  pass 
the  winter  with  them  at  La  Pointe  du  Saint  Esprit,  in  order 
to  instruct  them.  In  the  beginning,  having  been  called  to 
one  of  their  councils,  I  acquainted  them  with  the  news  that 
two  Frenchmen  had  just  brought  me,  telling  them  that,  after 
all,  I  saw  myself  obliged  to  leave  them  and  go  to  the  Sauit, 
because  during  the  three  years  I  had  b«en  with  them,  they 
would  not  embrace  our  holy  faith,  there  being  cnly  children 
and  some  women  who  were  Chri&tians.  I  declared,  besides, 
'.hat  J  would  leave  the  place  at  this  very  hour,  and  would 
shake  the  dust  off  my  shoes.  In  fact,  I  took  off  my  shoes 
and  did  so  in  their  presence,  to  show  them  that  I  was  about 
to  leave  them  altogether,  not  wishing  to  carry  anything  of 
theirs  with  nie,  not  even  the  dust  that  sticks  to  my  shoes.  I 
informed  them,  moreover,  thai  the  Indians  at  the  Sault  had 
called  me,  wishing  to  become  Christiana,  and  that  I  was 
going  to  them,  in  order  to  instruct  them  ;  but  if  they  in  some 
years  did  not  become  Christians,  I  would  treat  those  at  the 
Sault  in  the  same  manner. 

During  the  whole  of  this  discourse  I  read  in  their  coun- 
tenances the  fear  I  had  awakened  in  their  hearts.  Leaving 
them  to  deliberate,  I  withdrew  immediately,  resolved  on  go- 
ing to  the  Sault.  But  an  accident  having  detained  me 
through  a  special  providence  of  CTod,  I  soon  witnessed  the 
change  effected  in  them,  a  change  which  can  only  be  attrib- 
uted to  an  extraordinary  stroke  of  grace.  With  unanimous 
consent  they  abolished  polygamy,  as  also  the  sacriiices  they 
had  been  in  the  habit  of  offering  to  their  manitous,  refusing, 
moreover,  to  attend  any  of  the  supe^":titious  performances 
practiced  by  the  other  tribes  in  the  neighborhood.  In  a 
worci  they  showed  a  fervor  similar  to  that  of  the  primitive 
Christians  and  a  very  great  assiduity  in  all  the  duties  of  true 
believers.  They  have  all  come  to  live  near  our  chapel,  in 
order  to  make  it  easier  for  their  wives  and  children  to  attend 
the  instructions  given  them,  and  not  to  lose  a  day  without 
going  to  the  church  to  pray  to  Clod. 


81 


This,  in  general,  is  the  state  of  the  mission  of  La  Pointe  du 
Saint  Esprit.  I  shall  now  relate  in  detail  some  of  the  most 
remarkable  conversions.  An  old  man,  who  died  on  Christ- 
mas-day, after  having  been  prepared  for  death,  will  make  the 
beginning. 

The  Indian.s  told  Father  Allouez  that,  after  his  baptism, 
this  old  man  had  a  vision  of  two  roads,  one  of  which  led  up- 
wards, the  other  downwards.  He  had  taken  the  one  leading 
upwards,  as  he  told  them  himself,  but  he  had  great  trouble 
to  follow  it,  as  it  was  very  iiarrow  and  rugged.  The  down- 
ward road,  he  said,  was  very  wide  and  beaten,  the  same  as  a 
trail  going  from  one  Indian  village  to  another. 

I  cannot  in  silence  pass  over  the  baptism  of  the  first  adult 
of  that  tribe.  As  he  was  their  chief,  a  man  of  intelligence 
and  fit  for  Christianity,  he  was  the  first  one  to  harangue  in 
favor  of  the  Christian  religion  publicly,  sayinp,  the  mysteries 
preached  to  them  were  true,  and  that  he.  for  one,  had  resolved 
to  obey  the  Father.  His  name  was  Kekakoung,  This  holy 
liberty  of  speech  in  favor  of  the  faith  has  stirred  up  all  of 
them,  and  moved  them  to  receive  the  Gospel. 

A  certain  man  of  sixty  vea^*«'  did  not  have  much  difficulty 
in  becoming  a  Christian,  He  loid  Father  Allouez  that  during 
all  his  life  he  had  recognized  a  great  manitou  who  in  himself 
contained  heaven  and  earth  ;  that  he  had  always  iiivoked 
Him  in  all  his  sacrifices,  and  that  in  pressing  necessities  he 
had  received  help  from  Him.  He  received  the  name  of  Jo- 
seph in  baptism. 

The  example  of  another  old  man  confirms  the  same  thing. 
With  deep  sentiments  of  gratitude  towards  this  sovereign 
manitou  who  preserved  him,  he  relates  that,  when  leaving 
their  country,  these  Indians  were  obliged  to  tiee  on  the  ice  of 
the  great  lake  of  the  Hurons  in  order  to  escape  the  Iroquois 
and  starvation,  which  followed  them  everywhere.  They  had 
no  provisions  and  only  nourished  their  families  with  fish, 
which  they  speared  every  day  under  the  ice.  Now,  it  hap- 
pened that  sixty  of  their  people,  wandering  about  on  the  ice 
seeking  for  something  to  eat,  were  carried  away  on  a  large 
field  of  ice  which  had  become  detached  by  the  violence  of 
the  wind.  More  than  one- half  of  them  died  of  hunger  or 
cold,  but  this  old  man  v/as  preserved  on  his  cake  of  fioating 
ice  for  a  space  of  thirty  days,  and  iinally  he  managed  to  get 
on  another  field  of  ice,  and  thence  to  reach  land,  being  unable 


$ 


r 


IT 


82 

sufficiently  to  thank  that  manitou  more  powerful  than  fam- 
ine, cold,  ice,  winds  and  tempests,  to  whom  he  had  addressed 
his  prayers. 

When  he  heard  God  spoken  of  for  the  first  time,  he  recog- 
nized at  once  that  that  was  the  powerful  manitou  who  had 
preserved  him,  and  he  determined  henceforth  to  obey  him 
m  all  things. 

Finally,  Father  Allouez  relates  in  his  journal,  that  another 
man  of  the  same  age  could  not  contain  his  astonishment  that 
he  had  lived  so  long  without  the  knowledge  of  the  true  God. 
Oftentimes  when  being  instructed,  he  would  say:  "Is  it  pos- 
sible that  we  old  men,  who  have  a  little  understanding,  have 
so  long  been  so  blind  as  to  take  for  divinities  such  things  as 
every  day  serve  for  our  use  ?  ''  One  hundred  persons  of  this 
tribe,  partly  adults,  partly  children,  have  already  received 
baptism.  As  to  the  Hurons,  who  had  fled  to  this  country  (La 
Pomte  du  Saint  Esprit),  thirty-eight  have  been  baptized.  It  is 
calculated,  moreovci,  hat  there  are  more  than  one  hundred 
persons  of  the  other  tribes  to  whom  baptism  has  been  given. 

A  woman  forty-four  years  of  age,  showing  great  constancy 
and  a  bingular  love  for  our  holy  faith,  has  finally  received 
baptism  Th*  continual  occasion  of  sin  to  which  she  was 
exposed,  and  the  persecutions  she  suffered  on  account  of  her 
beauty,  made  us  at  first  fear  to  give  her  baptism;  but  her 
generous  behavior  (under  these  trials)  merited  this  grace, 
for  her.  She,  moreover,  declares  publicly  that  she  will  never 
marry.  She  was  confirmed  in  this  resolution  by  what  she 
had  onco  hoard  from  Father  Allouez  concerning  the  virgin- 
ity of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  as  also  the  vow  of  chastity  that, 
women  in  rfeligious  orders  make.  She  has  returned  to  her 
country  with  this  holy  thought  in  her  mind,  where  she  will 
have  the  Holy  Ghost  for  her  sole  director,  until  it  shall' 
please  God  to  send  there  some  missionary. 

Father  Marquette  writes  to  us  from  the  Sault  that  the  har- 
vest there  is  very  abundant,  and  that  it  only  depends  upon 
the  missionaries  to  baptize  all  that  are  there,  to  the  number 
of  two  thousand.  But  thus  far  they  have  not  ventured  to 
trust  thoHe  people,  since  they  are  too  complaisant  of  dispo- 
sition, so  that  there  is  reason  to  fear  that  they  might  continue 
their  ordinary  superstitious  practices  even  after  baptism.  The 
missionaries  apply  themselves,  above  all,  to  instruct  them, 
and  to  baptize  the  dying,  who  are  a  more  secure  harvest. 


83      • 
CHAPTER  XXI. 


to 


On  the  Mission  Among  the  Outaouacs  and  Especially 
OF  THE  Mission  Sault  Sainte  Marie. 

We*  call  those  tribes  Upper  Algonquins  to  distinguish 
them  from  the  Lower  Algonquins,  who  are  found  farther 
south,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Tadoussac  and  Quebec. 

They  are  commonly  called  Outaouacs,  because  of  the  thirty 
different  tribes  that  are  found  in  those  countries,  )he  first 
that  came  down  to  our  French  settlements  were  the  Outa- 
ouacs, whose  name,  since  that  time,  has  remained  common 
to  all  the  others. 

As  we  have  a  large  number  of  different  tribes  to  attend, 
scattered  over  a  large  tract  of  country,  we  have  div^'ded  them 
into  three  principal  missions,  each  of  which  are  Gubdivided 
into  several  particular  missionary  stations,  according  to  the 
diversity  of  language  and  tribe,  all  of  which  are  connected 
with  these  three  principal  missions. 

The  first  of  these  missions,  which  is  the  central  for  the 
others,  is  called  Sainte  Marie  du  Sault,  located  at  the  foot  of 
the  rapids  which  receive  their  waters  from  Lake  Tracy,  or 
Superior,  and  discharge  them  into  Lake  Huron. 

The  second  mission,  which  is  the  furthest  distant,  is  that 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  towards  the  extremity  of  said  Lake 
Superior,  in  a  place  which  the  Indians  call  La  Pointe  de 
Chagaouamigong. 

The  third  bears  the  name  of  St.  Francis  Xavier,*  at  the 
head  of  the  Bay  called  that  of  the  Puants,  which  is  only 
separated  by  a  tongue  of  land  from  Lake  Superior. 

When  speaking  of  each  of  these  three  missions  in  par- 
ticular we  shall  take  occasion  to  say  something  about  the 
peculiarities  and  curiosities  to  be  met  with  in  the  places  at 
which  they  are  established. 

1  Relation  of  1670,  pp.  78,  80. 

2  See  "Hist,  and  Biog.  Notes"  for  a  short  sketch  of  the  Green  Bay  Mission. 


*ii' 


84 
CHAPTER  XXTI. 


w% 


On  the  Nature  and  Peculiarities  of  the  Sault  and  of 
THE  Tribes  who  are  in  the  habit  of  going  there. 

What  is  commonly  called  the  Sault  is  not,  properly  speak- 
ing, a  Sault,  or  a  very  high  fall  of  water,  but  a  very  strong 
current  of  the  waters  of  Lake  Superior,  which  are  arrested  in 
their  onward  course,  through  the  channel,  by  a  great  number 
of  rocks  (in  the  bed  of  the  river)  opposing  their  passage  and 
forming  a  dangerous  cataract  of  half  a  league,  all  of  these 
waters  flowing  down  and  precipitating  themselves  upon  one 
another  and  upon  the  large  rocks,  whicln  obstruct  the  whole 
river. 

Three  leagues  below  Lake  Superior  and  twelve  leagues 
above  the  Lake  of  the  ^^  rcns  ;  all  this  wpace  forms  a  beau- 
tiful river,  intersected  im  several  islands,  which  divide  the 
river  and  enlarge  it  in  some  places  beyond  sight.  It  flows 
very  ^*ently  nearly  everywhere,  the  only  place  hard  to  get 
over  Leing  the  Sault. 

At  the  lower  end  of  these  rapids,  and  even  amongst  the 
eddies,  a  great  fishery  is  carried  on,  from  spring  till  winter, 
of  a  species  of  fish  which  is  generally  only  found  in  Lakes 
Superior  and  Huron.  They  call  them  in  their  language, 
Atiicameg  and  we,  in  ours,  white  fish,  because  this  fish  is 
truly  very  vrhite  and,  moreover,  very  excellent.  Hence  it 
forms  almost  exclusively  the  food  of  the  greater  part  of  those 
tribes.  —  t 

Dexterity  and  strength  are  necessary  for  this  kind  of  fish- 
ery;  for  those  who  catoh  them  must  stand  up  in  a  bark  canoe 
and  there,  among  the  rapids,  push  down  a  pole  to  the  bottom 
of  the  water,  to  the  end  of  which  a  net  is  attached  in  the 
shape  of  a  pocket,  into  which  the  fish  are  made  to  enter.  The 
fish  must  be  discovered  by  eye-sight,  when  they  are  gliding 
among  the  stones  in  the  bed  of  the  river.  Having  discovered 
them,  the  fisherman  has  to  pu  bit  lb  rv  and,  having  forced 
them  to  enter  ohe  net,  wi  li  i,  r>at  t'^^vrir  lifts  them  into  the 
canoe.  This  pertormanoe  is  rejVf  it^c*  a^  Mch  draught,  until 
he  has  secured  a  loau,  ..ix  or^i/.en  I  igv  fishes  being  takon 
each  lime. 


85 

Not  everybody  is  fit  for  this  kind  of  fishing,  and  occasion- 
ally there  are  some,  who  by  the  efforts  they  are  obliged  to 
make,  upset  the  canoe,  not  having  sufficient  dexterity  and 
experience. 

It  is  this  convenience  of  having  fish  in  such  abundance^ 
as  only  to  go  and  haul  them  out,  that  attracts  the  neighbor- 
ing tribes  hither  during  the  summer,  who,  being  nomadic, 
without  fields  and  without  corn,  and  living  mostly  on  fish,. 
here  find  what  they  want.  At  the  same  time  the  mission- 
aries make  use  of  the  opportunity  thus  ofl^ered,  to  instruct 
and  train  them  in  the  Christian  religion,  during  their  sojourn 
in  this  place. 

This  has  induced  us  to  esvabllsh  a  permanent  mission 
here  which  we  call  Sainte  Marie  du  Sault/'and  which  is  the 
central  to  the  others,  as  we  here  find  ourselves  surrounded 
by  difierent  tribes,  of  whom  the  following  belong  here,  com- 
ing here,  as  they  do,  to  live  on  fish; 

The  first,  and  at  the  same  time,  the  native  inhabitants  of 
this  place  are  the  people  that  call  themselves  Pahouiting- 
wach  Irini  (Bawiting  dajiinini — "a  man  of  Bawiting")' 
The  French  call  them  Saulteurs,  because  they  dwell  at  the 
Sault  as  in  their  own  country,  the  other  tribes  only  living 
there,  as  it  were,  by  permission.  They  number  no  more 
than  one  hundred  and  fifty  souls,  but  they  are  consol- 
idated with  three  other  tribes,  numbering  more  than  five 
hundred  and  fifty  persons,  to  whom  th  y  have  made  a 
cession  as  it  were,  of  the  righl?  of  their  na've  country; 
hence  these  three  tribes  reside  there  permanently,  except 
during  the  time  in  which  they  go  huntinor.  Those  called 
Noquets^  go  hunting  on  the  south  side  ol  Lake  Superior, 
where  they  originally  belonged.  The  Outchibous'  and  the 
Marameg^  hunt  on  the  north  side  of  the  same  lake,  which 
country  they  look  upon  as  tht'rown. 

1  This  mission  was  located  at  the  foot  of  the  rapids,  nine  miles  below  the 
mouth  of  Lake  Superior,  on  the  American  side  of  the  river.  The  church  and 
mission  house  were  destroyed  by  Are  Jan.  ;?7th,  1671— the  work,  it  seems,  of  a 
Pa^an  incendiary.    >St^on  a  far  more  beautiful  chapel  was  erected. 

a  Noquets,  from  no-ka.  "The  No-ka  or  Bear  family  are  more  numerous 
than  any  of  +he  other  clan"  of  theOJibways,  forming  fully  one-sixth  of  the  en- 
tire tribe."  (W^i.  W.  Warreu,  in  Minn.  Hist.  Col.  vol.  v.  pp.  49.) 

3  Outchioous,  ciilled  also  Outchibouee,  now  the  generic  name  of  th^  whole 
Chippewa  nation. 

i  Marameg,  the  F-encb  of  Ma-nam-aig,  "catfish,"  who  have  the  catfish  for 
their  totem.  They  aro  a  subdivision  of  the  great  A-waus-e  clan,  to  which 
f  uHy  one-ninth  of  the  Chipewa  nation  belongs. 


be 

Besides  these  four,  there  are  seven  other  tribes  dependant 
on  this  mission.  Those  called  Achiligouiane,^  Amicou- 
res,'*  and  the  Mississague^  fish  here  (at  the  Sault),  but  go 
hunting  on  the  islands  and  in  the  country  around  Lake 
Huron.     They  number  more  than  four  hundred  souls. 

Two  other  tribes  to  the  number  of  five  hundred  souis, 
altogether  nomadic,  without  any  fixed  dwelling  place,  go 
toward  the  northern  country,  to  hunt  during  winter,  and 
come  here  to  fish  during  summer. 

There  are  still  six  other  tribes,  who  are  either  people  of 
the  Sea  of  the  North,  as  for  instance,  the  Guilistinons*  and 
the  CKienibigong,'  or  such  as  are  roaming  about  in  the 
neighborhood  of  thip  same  Sea  of  the  North,  the  greater  part 
of  whom  haviuq;  been  driven  from  their  country  by  famine, 
come  h  re,  from  time  to  time,  to  enjoy  the  abundance  of 
fish  found  '>ere. 

Two  reasv^ns,  among  others,  have  made  us  resolve  to  un- 
dertake  a  voyage  as  far  as  to  this  Sea  of  the  North.  The 
first  is  to  see  in  what  manner  we  can  promote  the  conver- 
sion of  those  tribes,  notwithstanding  the  great  obstacles  to 
this  work,  considering  their  mode  of  living,  roaming  about 
as  they  do,  continually  through  gloomy  forests,  and  assem- 
bling but  rarely  for  some  fair  or  feast,  according  to  their 
custom. 

The  second  reason  for  this  voyage  is  to  examine,  at  length, 
this  Sea  of  the  North,  of  which  so  much  has  been  said  and 
which  thus  far  has  not  been  discovered  overland. 

The  motives  for  seeking  to  make  this  discovery  are,  in  the 
first  place,  to  ascertain  whether  this  sea  is  the  bay  to  which 
Hudson  penetrated  in  the  year  1612,  or  some  other,  by  com- 
paring the  longitude  and  latitude  of  that  place  with  those  of 
thib  sea,  and  then  to  find  out  which  part  of  the  sea  of  the 
North  is  nearest  to  us.  Secondly,  in  order  to  know  whether 
there  be  any  communication  from  Quebec  to  this  sea  by 


1  Achilig-ouiane— of  this  Indian  tribe  the  writer  has  be  en  unable  to  learn 
anything. 

2  Amicoures,  from  "Aui'k"  a  beaver.    They  claimed  to  be  descendants  of 
the  great  benver— Manltou ;  hence  the  boaver  is  their  totem. 

3  Misslssague— of  whom  the  writer  has  not  been  able  to  learn  anything. 

4  Guilistlntt  18,  the  same  who  are  called  elsewhere  KJlistinons,  now  Crees. 
See  "Hist,  ami  biog.  notes." 

5  Ouenibigoug.  Frooch  form  of  Wiuibigog.  fi-om  "wioibi,"  dirty  water. 
They  probably  reside  ic  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Wlnuepeg. 


87 


navigating  along  the  northern  shores,  as  has  been  tried  some 
years  ago.  This  depends  upon  the  situation  of  said  bay, 
which  we  have  here  behind  us  towards  the  North,  for  if  paid 
sea  of  the  North  should  prove  to  be  that  of  Hudson,  or  some 
other  farther  toward  the  West,  an  easy  commercial  inter- 
course cannot  be  expected,  since  a  point  would  have  to  be 
doubled  which  extends  to  more  than  sixty-three  degrees  of 
north  latitude.  Thirdly,  to  arrive  at  a  certainty  regarding 
strong  conjectures  long  entertained,  that  the  sea  of  Japan 
could  be  reached  by  that  route,  for  what  has  been  remarked 
in  some  of  the  previous  Relations  concerning  this  matter  has 
been  confirmed  more  and  more  by  the  report  of  the  Indians 
and  by  the  conclusions  we  have  drawn,  namely,  that  at  some 
days'  journey  from  the  mission  of  St.  Francis  Xavier,  which 
is  at  the  Bay  of  the  Puants,  there  is  a  Jarge  river  a  league  or 
more  in  width  (Mississippi),  which  taken  its  riH«»  H«Muewhere 
in  the  north  and  fiows  in  a  southerly  direction,  and  that 
so  far,  that  the  Indians  who  have  navigatnd  said  river  while 
seeking  r.^r  enemies  to  fight,  were  unable  after  a  great  many 
days  to  discover  its  mouth,  which  must  be  toward  the  sea 
of  Florida  or  that  of  California.  Below  a  large  tribe  will  be 
spoken  of,  residing  in  the  direction  of  that  river,  as  also  of  the 
voyage  we  hope  to  make  this  year,  to  carry  the  faith  there, 
and  at  the  same  time  to  take  cognizance  of  those  new  countries. 
Besides,  we  are  assured  by  the  report  of  a  great  many  Indi- 
ans, whose  statements  agree  very  well,  that  at  two  hundred 
leagues  from  the  mission  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  amongst  the 
Outaouacs,  towards  the  West  is  situated  the  sea  of  the  West' , 
to  which  one  descends  by  another  large  river,  found  at  eight 
days' journey  from  said  mission.  These  rivers  go  and  come 
far  back  into  the  interior — it  is'  thus  the  Indiana  express 
themselves  when  speaking  of  the  tide  of  the  sea.  One  of 
them  declares  that  he  has  there  seen  four  ships  with  sails. 

After  these  two  seas,  that  of  the  South  and  that  of  the 
West,  there  only  remains  that  of  the  north,  so  as  to  be  sur- 
rounded by  such  on  all  sides,  which  being  well  discovered 
the  following  advantages  may  b^  derived,  namelv:  that  it  is 
not  impossible  to  pass  from  the  sea  of  the  North  to  that  of 


1.  The  compiler  of  this  *'  Relation,  "  who  seems  to  have  been  Father  Dab- 
lou,  probably  means  by  the  "Sea  of  che  West"  the  Paelflc  ocean  and  the  river 
leading- to  it  tlie  Colmabla.  He  is,  of  course,  miatalccn  in  his  estimate  of  the 
distance  to  said  "  Sea  of  the  West." 


88 

the  South  or  to  that  of  the  West;  that,  as  said  sea  of  the 
West  cannot  be  any  other  than  that  of  Japan,  the  passage  to 
this  sea  might  be  facilitated-,  as  well  as  commerce. 


I 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


if 

fs.  it 


On  the  Mission  of  the  Holy  Ghost  at  Point  Chagaoua- 
MiGONG  IN  Lake  Tracy,  or  Superior. 

(On  the  peculiarities  and  curiosities  of  Lake  Superior,  and, 
in  the  first  place,  of  the  different  kinds  of  fish  with  which 
it  abounds.) 

This  lake  ha&  almost  the  shape  of  a  bow  strung,  being 
more  than  one  hundred  and  eighty  leagues  in  length,  of 
which  the  South  shore  is,  as  it  were,  the  string;  and  it  seems 
ae  though  the  arrow  were  the  large  tongue  of  land  that 
extends  from  the  said  south  shore  towards  the  middle  of 
the  lake,  more  than  eighty  leagues.' 

The  northern  shore  is  frightful,  on  account  of  a  series  of 
rocks  which  form  the  end  of  the  prodigious  mountain  chain 
which,  beginning  beyond  Cape  de  Tourmeate  below  Quebec, 
and  extending  till  here  through  a  space  of  more  than  six 
hundred  leagues  in  length,  finally  terminates  at  the  extrem- 
ity of  this  lake. 

The  lake,  nearly  all  over,  is  open  and  free  from  islands, 
which  are  generally  only  found  towards  the  north  shore. 
This  large  open  Bpace  gives  room  to  winds  that  agitate  this 
lake  with  as  much  violence  as  the  ocean. 

It  abounds  mostly  all  over  with  such  a  quantity  of  stur- 
geon, white  fish,  trout,  carp  and  herring,  that  a  s'ngle  fisher- 
man will  catch  in  one  night  twenty  large  sturgeon  or  one 
hundred  and  fifty  white  fish  or  eight  hundred  herring  in  one 
net.  These  herrings  are  a  good  deal  like  sea  herrings  in 
shape  and  size,  but  they  have  not  quite  so  good  a  flavor.  It 
is  necessary  often  to  expose  oneself  to  danger  in  fishing  here, 
which,  in  certain  localities,  can  only  be  carried  on  at  large^ 
in  dangerous  places,  subject  to  storms  and  at  night-time 
before  moon- rise.     In  fact  two  Frenchmen  were  drowned  last 

1   He  means  Keweenaw  Point. 


89 

fall,  having  been  overtaken  by  a  squall  of  wind  which  they 
could  not  avoid. 

In  a  river  called  Nantounagan,  which  iR  on  the  south  side 
of  the  lake,  there  is  a  very  great  fishery  of  sturgeon,  day  and 
night,  from  spring  till  autumn,  and  it  is  there  the  Indians  go 
to  procure  their  supply  of  provisions.  Opposite  this  river, 
on  the  north  shore  they  ha,ve  a  similar  fishery  in  a  small  bay, 
where  a  single  net  will,  in  one  night,  take  thirty  or  forty  stur- 
geon. This  abundance  of  sturgeon  is  also  found  in  a  river  at 
the  extremity  of  the  lake.  Along  the  north  shore  another  riv^r 
is  met  with  which  is  called  Plack  Sturgeon  River,  from  the 
sturgeon  that  are  caught  t!  ere.  They  are  not  as  jrood  as 
other  sturgeon,  but  starving  voyagers  fin^l  them  excellent. 

At  La  Pointedu  Saint  Eirsplit  Chagaouamigong,  where  the 
Outaouacs  and  Hurons  reside,  there  is  a  great  fishery,  at  all 
times  of  the  year,  for  white  fish,  trout  and  herrings.  This 
"manna"  begins  in  November  and  lasts  till  after  the  ice 
has  formed  ;  and  the  colder  it  is,  the  more  fish  are  caught. 
Herring  are  found  all  along  the  south  shore  of  the  lake,  from 
spring  till  the  end  of  the  month  of  August.  It  were  necessary 
to  enumerate  all  the  bays  and  rivers  of  this  Jake,  if  desirous 
to  teJ]  C)f  all  the  fisheries  carried  on  there.  It  is  thus  that 
Providence  has  supplied  these  poor  people,  who,  through 
want  of  game  and  (^ovn,  live,  for  the  greatest  part,  only  on  fish. 


is, 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


in 
It 


On  the  Mines  of  Copper,  which  are  Found  at  Lake 

Superior. 

Until  now  it  was  supposed  these  mines  were  only  to  be 
found  on  one  or  two  islands.  After  making  more  exact 
researches,  however,  we  have  learned  from  the  Indians  certain 
secrets  which  they  were  unwilling  to  reveal.  It  required 
cuteness  to  draw  such  information  from  them,  and  to  distin- 
guish between  the  true  and  the  false. 

We  do  not,  however,  guarantee  all  we  are  about  to  say,  upon 
their  simple  word,  until  we  can  speak  with  more  assurance, 
when  we  shall  have  gone  to  those  places  ourselves,  a  thing 

1    Ontonagon,  from  onaoan,  "dish;"  nindonoflfan,  "my  dleh." 


if 


I 

i 

ii 


90 

we  hope  to  do  this  summer,  when,  iit  the  same  time,  we  go  to 
seek  lor  theloyt  sheep  roaming  about  throughout  all  8ecti«m8 
of  this  great  hike  country. 

Entering  Lake  Superior  by  its  mouth,  which  empties  at 
the  Sault,  the  firat  place  that  presents  itself  in  which  co])per 
is  found  in  al>undance,  is  an  island  forty  or  lifty  leagues  dis- 
tant, situated  towards  the  north  shore  opposite  a  place  called 
Missijncouating.' 

The  Indians  say  it  is  a  floating  island,  which  is  sometimes 
near,  sometimes  far  away,  according  to  the  directior)  in  which 
the  winds  move,  propelling  it  from  one  side  to  another.  Tliey 
relute  also  that  long  ago  l-)ur  Indians  met  there  accidentally, 
having  been  lost  in  tlie  fog,  with  which  this  island  is  mostly 
always  surrounded. 

It  was  at  a  time,  when  they  did  not  as  yet  carry  on  any 
commerce  with  the  French,  nor  use  kettles  or  hatchets.  Ac- 
cordingly when  they  wanted  to  prepare  themselves  a  meal 
thev  took  stones  which  they  found  on  the  beach,  put  them 
into  the  lire  and  made  them  red-hot.  These  heated  stones 
they  then  put  into  a  small  vessel  made  of  bark,  no  as  to 
make  the  water  boil  with  which  it  was  filled  and  in  which 
they  boiled  their  meat.  When  thfy  selected  the  stones,  they 
found  that  nearly  all  of  them  were  pieces  of  copper.  These 
they  used,  and,  having  takei*  their  repast,  they  intended  to 
embark  as  soon  as  possible,  fearing  the  lynx  and  hares,  which 
in  that  place  are  as  large  as  (iogs,  and  which  were  beginning 
to  eat  their  provisions,  yes,  even  their  canoes. 

Before  starting  they  loaded  themselves  with  a  quantity  of 
those  stones,  large  and  small,  and  even  some  plates  of  cop- 
per. But  they  had  not  gone  very  far  from  the  shore,  when 
a  powerful  voice  made  itself  heard,  saying  in  great  anger: 
"Who  are  those  thieves  that  are  carrying  away  the  cradles 
and  toys  of  my  children?"  By  the  cradles  were  meant  the 
plates  of  copper;  for  among  the  Indians  cradles  are  only 
composed  of  a  few  pieces  of  material  fastened  together,  on 
which  their   children  repose.     The  little  pieces  of  c  pper 

1  Michipicoten,  also  Cariboo  Island.  George  Francis  Thomas  (Legends  of 
the  Land  of  the  Lakes,  p.  8>  says:  "'..lexandfi-  Henry,  who  visited  Cariboo 
[gland  in  his  search  after  silver  and  copper,  in  1765,  says  it  was  called  by  the 
Indians,  'The  Isle  of  the  Yellow  Sands,'  and  that  a  myriad  of  hawks  encora- 

Eassed  the  island,  one  of  which  was  so  bold  as  to  pluck  his  cap  from  his  hf  ad. 
[e  found  native  copper  in  the  form  of  animals,  leaves  etc.,  having  been  fash- 
ioned thus  by  the  hands  of  prehistoric  man.  He  also  found  a  number  of  cari- 
bous, the  American  reindeer,  upon  the  island." 


91 


r 


lO 

e 


they  were  taking  away,  were  the  toys  of  Indian  children, 
who  play  with  little  sioneH. 

This  voice  astoniehed  them  very  much,  not  knowing 
whence  it  came  Some  said  it  was  thunder,  ;ifc>  storms  are 
frequent  ther^.  Others  maintained  it  whk  a  certain  manitou 
whom  they  call  Mifsibizi,  who  among  those  tribes  is  consid- 
ered as  the  god  of  the  waters,  the  same  as  Neptune  among 
the  ancients.  Others,  finally,  claimed  that  the  voice  come 
from  the  Memogovissiouis.  ThcBe  arc  mermaids,  something 
like  the  fabulous  Triton  or  Sirens,  who  always  live  in  the 
water,  their  hair  hanging  down  to  the  waist  One  of  our 
Indians  told  us  he  had  seen  one  of  them  in  the  water,  as  he 
imagined. 

However  that  may  be,  this  astonishing  voice  so  frightened 
our  Indians,  that  one  of  the  four  died  before  reaching  land; 
soon  after  a  second  one  was  taken  away  then  the  third;  so 
only  one  remained  who,  having  returned  to  his  country,  re- 
lated all  that  had  happened  and  died  very  soon  afterwards. 

The  Indians,  timorous  and  superstitious  as  all  of  then  ire, 
never  after  that  dared  to  go  to  that  island,  for  fear  of  dying 
there,  as  they  belie\  e  there  are  certain  manitous  there  who 
kill  nU  those  that  venture  to  land.  And,  in  fact,  t^inct  the 
memory  of  man,  no  one  has  ever  been  kn(»wn  to  put  his 
foot  on  sail  land,  or  even  to  sail  by  tJiere,  although  the 
island  appears  plainly  enough  to  view,  and  one  can  even 
distinguish  the  trees  of  another  island  called  Achemikouan. 

There  is  something  true  and  some.hing  false  in  this  story. 
What  appears  most  probable,  is  that  those  four  men  were 
poisoned  by  the  water  which  was  made  to  boil  by  means  of 
heating  pieces  of  copper,  which  lumps  of  copper  through 
the  violence  of  the  heat  communicated  their  poison  to  the 
water  ;  for  we  know  from  experience  that  copper,  when  put 
into  the  fire  for  the  first  time,  exhales  dense,  noxious 
vapors  tiiat  whitens  chimneys.  It  is  not.  however,  a  poison 
immediately  active,  but  such  as  might  more  speedily  take 
efiect  in  some  than  in  others,  as  was  t  he  case  with  those  men 
of  whom  we  are  speaking.  Already  feeling  the  sickening 
effects  of  he  verdigris  in  the  water  in  which  they  had  boiled 
their  meat,  they  may  have  easily  imagined  to  hear  that 
voice,  or,  perhaps,  they  heard  some  echo,  which  is  commonly 
the  case  among  the  rocks  with  which  this  island  is  lined. 


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23  WEST  MAiri  STREET 

WEBSTER,  ^J.Y.  14SS0 

(716)  872-4503 


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92 

Perhaps  this  fable  was  invented  afterwards,  not  knowing 
to  what  to  ascribe  the  death  of  those  Indians.  And  when 
they  say  it  is  a  floating  island,  it  is  probable  that  the  vapors 
which  often  hover  over  it,  rarifyrngor  condensing  in  the  rays 
of  the  sun,  make  the  island  sometimes  appear  very  near  and 
at  others  further  off. 

What  is  certain,  is  that,  according  to  the  common  belief  of 
the  Indians,  there  is  a  great  abundance  of  copper  on  this 
island,  but  that  no  one  has  the  courage  to  go  there.  It  is 
there  we  hope  to  begin  the  discoveries,  which  we  intend  to 
make  this  summer. 

Pioceeding  further  (westward  along  the  northern  shore) 
to  the  place  called :  La  Grand  Anse,  an  island  is  met  with  three 
leagues  from  the  mainland,  which  is  renowned  for  the  metal 
found  there  .and  also  for  the  name  Thunder,  which  it  bears, 
because  it  is  said  it  always  thunders  there. 

But  still  further  westward,  along  the  same  northern  shore, 
is  found  an  island  most  famous  for  copper,  called  Minong.* 
It  is  there,  as  the  Indians  have  told  many  persons,  that  cop- 
per is  to  be  found  in  great  quantity,  and  in  many  places. 
This  island  is  large,  twenty  five  leagues  long,  seven  leagues 
from  the  mainland  and  more  than  sixty  leagues  from  the 
(weet)  end  of  the- lake.  Almost  everywhere  on  the  shores  of 
this  island  pieces  of  copper  may  be  seen  among  the  stones  at 
the  edge  of  the  water,  especially  at  the  side  opposite  (lacing 
the  south),  but  principally  in  a  certain  bay,  toward  the 
end  which  faces  the  northeast  from  the  side  of  the  offing. 
There  are  some  very  steep  blufls  of  potters'  clay  there,  and 
on  the  side  of  these  perpendicular  bluffs  or  hills  are  seen 
several  layers,  or  beds  ot  red  copper,  one  above  the  other, 
separated  from  one  another,  or  divided  by  other  layers  of 
earth  or  rock.  Even  in  the  water  copper-sand,  as  it  were 
(pulverized  copper  ore),  is  seen,  and  a  person  may  take  up 
grains  with  a  spoon,  some  as  large  as  an  acorn,  and  otherd 
smaller  reduced  to  sand  (pulverized  by  the  action  of  the 
water).  This  large  island  is  almost  entirely  surrounded  by 
islets,  said  to  be  of  copper.  They  are  to  be  met  with  in  dif- 
ferent places,  till  to  the  mainland  of  the  north  (shore).  One 
of  them  is  no  farther  away  from  Minong  than  two  gun-ahots. 
This  islet  is  situated  between  the  middle  of  the  main  island 


1   Minong,  now  called  Isle  Royal. 


93 

and  that  end  which  faces  north-east.  There  is,  besides,  on 
this  north-east  side,  very  far  out  in  the  lake,  another  island, 
called  Mani  ton  minis,  on  account  of  the  copper  with  which 
it  abounds  and  of  whioii  it  is  related  that  those  who  were  there 
formerly  threw  down  stones  upon  the  ground,  making  them 
resound  as  brass  generally  does. 

Advancing*to  the  (west)  end  of  the  lake  and  returning  (east- 
ward) one  day's  journey  along  the  south  shore,  there  is  seen 
at  the  edge  of  the  water  a  rock  of  copper'  weighing  seven  or 
eight  hundred  pounds.  It  is  so  hard  that  a  steel  instrument 
can  hardly  penetrate  it.  When  it  is  heated,  however,  it  may 
be  cut  like  lead. 

Further  on  this  aide,  along  the  south  shore  is  situated  the 
Pointe  of  Chagaouamigong,  where  we  have  establishe*!  the 
Mission  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  of  which  we  will  speak  hereafter. 
Near  this  are  islands.^  or  the  shores  of  which  pieces  of  cop- 
per-ore are  found  and  even  plates  of  the  same  material. 

Last  spring  we  bo.ight  of  the  Indians  a  flat  piece  of  pure 
copper,  two  feet  square,  which  weighs  more  than  one  hundred 
pounds.  It  is  not  believed,  however,  that  (copper)  mines 
exist  on  the  islands,  but  that  all  these  nuggets  of  copper  prob- 
ably come  from  Minong  or  frgm  other  islands,  where  they 
originated,  being  carried  on  floating  cakes  of  ice  or  rolled 
along  on  the  bottom  of  the  water  by  very  impetuous  winds, 
especially  from  the  north-east,  which  wind  is  extremely  violent, 
It  is  true  that  on  the  mainland,^  at  the  place  where  the 
Outaouacs  rais^  Iiidi  m-corn,  about  half  a  league  from  the 
edge  of  the  water,  the  women  have  eometimes  found  pieces 
of  copper  scattered  here  and  there,  weighing  ten,  twenty  or 
thirty  pounds.  It  is  when  digging  into  the  sand  to  conceal 
their  corn  that  they  make  these  discoveries. 

In  going  back  still  further  towards  the  mouth  of  the  lake, 
following  the  south  fehore,  twenty  leagues  from  the  place  of 
which  we  have  just  spoken  (Chagaouamigong)  one  enters  a 
river  called  Nantounagan,  where  a  bluff  is  seen,  from  which 
piecee  of  red  copper  Ml  into  the  water  or  on  the  land,  where 
they  are  easily  found.    Three  years  ago  a  massive  piece  (of 


1   This  large  mass  of  copper  was  probably  near  the  mouth  of  Iron  River, 
Bayfield  Co. 

3   The  Apoptles  Islands. 

3   This   seems  to  have  been  at  the  southeast  end  of  Chequamegon  Bay, 
between  Fish  Creels  and  Ashland. 


94 


copper)  of  one  huiidred  pounds  weight  waa  given  us,  which 
was  obtained  in  this  same  place  and  of  which  we  cut  oflF  Bome 
pieces  and  sent  them  to  Quebec  io  Monsieur  Talon. 

All  do  not  agree  as  to  t'  e  precise  locality  where  copper  is 
found  (on  Ontonagan  Uiver).  Som.e  would  have  it  where  the 
river  begins  to  retire;  others  say  it  is  met  with  right  near 
the  lake,  when  digging  into  the  loamy  ground.  Some  say 
at  the  place  where  the  river  forks,  and  in  a  creek  which  if 
more  to  the  east,  on  this  8id«  of  a  point,  one  has  to  dig  into 
the  rich  soil,  so  aw  to  find  this  copper  and  that  pieces  of  this 
metal  are  found  scattered  throughout  the  creek,  which  is  in 
the  middle. 

Coming  on  still  further  this  way,  there  presents  itself  a 
long  point  of  land,  which  appears  to  us  like  an  arrow.  At 
the  end  of  this  there  is  an  islet  which  seems  to  be  only  six 
feet  square  and  fhich  is  said  to  be  entirely  of  copper. 

Finally,  not  to  omit  describing  a  single  section  of  this  great 
lake,  we  "re  told  in  the  interior,  on  the  south  side,  mines  of 
this  metal  are  found  in  different  places. 

All  these  items  '^f  information  and  others  which  it  is  un- 
necessary to  describe  more  at  length,  merit  indeed  that  an 
exact  research  be  made,  and  such  w<3  will  try  to  undertake. 
There  are  also  indications  of  copper,  to  judge  from  the  verdi- 
gris, which  they  say  runs  down  from  the  crevices  of  certain 
rocks  at  the  edge  of  the  water,  where  even  among  the  pebbles 
some  pieces  are  found,  somewhat  soft,  of  an  agreeable  green- 
ish color.  If  God  prospers  us  in  our  undertaking,  we  shall 
speak  of  it  next  year  with  more  certainty  and  knowledge. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


r 


STOi"'" 


Of  the  Tribes  Connected  with  the  Mpssion  op  the  Holy 
Ghost  at  the  Point  called  Chaqaouamigonq. 

A  person  may  count  more  than  fiity  villages,  composed  of 
different  tribes,  either  roaming  about  or  having  fixed  abodes, 
who  in  some  way  depend  on  this  mission,  and  to  whom  one 
can  announce  the  Gospel,  be  it  by  going  to  their  country,  or 
at  the  time  when  they  come  to  this  section  to  traffic. 

The  three  tribes  comprised  under  the  name  of  Ouiaouacs, 
of  which  one  has  embraced  Christianity,  and  that  of  the 


95 

Hurone  Eiionnoniateheronnon^,  of  whom  there  are  about 
Jivehundred  baptized,  inhabit  thin  Point,  subsisting  on  fisn  and 
corn,  and  rarely  on  game.  They  compose  more  than  fifteen 
hundred  souls. 

The  Illinois  tribe,  living  southward,  have  five  large  villages, 
one  of  which  extends  three  leagues,  the  wigwams  being  in 
a  row.  They  number  nearly  two  thousand  souls,  and  come 
here  from  time  to  time,  in  great  numbers,  hs  traders,  to  pro- 
cure hatchets,  guns,  and  other  things  they  need.  During  the 
time  they  stay  hero  the  missionaries  sow  in  their  hearts  the 
first  seeds  of  the  Gospel.  Hereafter  more  will  be  said  of  theso 
people  and  of  the  desire  t>>ey  show  to  have  one  of  our  Fathers 
instruct  them,  as  also  of  the  design  Father  Marquette  has 
formed  of  going  to  them  next  aut -mn. 

Eight  days'  journey  from  here,  westward,  is  the  first  of  the 
thirtv  villages  of  the  Nadouessi.  The  great  war  they  wage 
with  our  Hurons  and  some  other  tribes  oi  this  section  of  the 
country,  keeps  them  more  reserved  and  obliges  them  not  to 
come  here,  except  in  small  numbers,  and,  apparently,  as  an 
embassy.  More  will  he  said  of  them  below,  when  we  shall 
relate  what  said  Father  did  to  pacify  them  and  preserve 
them  in  peace. 

Of  all  the  tribes  toward  t^e  north,  there  are  three  who 
come  here  to  traffic  and  very  recently  two  hundred  canoes  of 
them  stayed  here  for  some  time. 

Four  other  tribes  of  those  who  compose  the  mission  of  St. 
Francis  Xavier  at  the  Bay  of  the  Puants,  have  received  the 
first  tincture  of  the  faith  during  the  time  they  resided  here, 
fleeing  from  the  pui*8uit  of  the  Iroquois. 

Thus  the  mission  finds  itself  surrounded  nearly  on  all 
sides  with  tribes,  at  whose  conversion  the  missionary  has 
begun  to  Ja'^or,  as  we  are  about  to  see. 


96 
CHAPTER  XXVI. 


"l      H 

I 

*/ 

r 

H 

f^-r- 

-ntj 

•    } 

i« 

J. 

Letter  of  Father  James  Marquette  to  the  Rev.  Father 

Superior  of  the  Mission/ 

My  Reverend  Father,  Pax  Christi:^ 

I  am  obliged  to  give  Your  Reverence  an  account  of  the 
state  of  the  mission  of  the  Holy  Ghost  among  the  Outa- 
ouacs,  according  to  the  order  received  from  Your  Reverence, 
and  lately  again  from  Father  Dablon,  since  my  arrival  here, 
after  one  month  s  navigation  in  snow  and  ice,  which  closed 
our  passage,  and  in  almost  continual  danger  of  death. 

Divine  inovidence  having  destined  me  to  continue  the 
mission  of  the  Holy  GhosU  which  Father  Allouez  had  started, 
and  where  he  baptised  the  head  men  of  the  Kiskakonk  tribe, 
Jl  arrived  there  on  the  thirteenth  of  September  (1669).  I 
went  to  visit  the  Indians  who  were  living  in  clearings  divided 
as  it  were,  into  five  villages  The  Hurons,  tc  the  number  of 
from  four  to  five  hundred  souls,  are  nearly  all  baptized,  and 
still  alwayK  preserve  a  little  Christianity.  Some  of  the 
principal  men,  assembled  in  council,  were  much  pleased  at 
first  to  see  me.  I  gave  them  to  understand,  however,  that  I 
did  not  as  yet  know  their  language  perfectly,  and  that  there 
was  no  other  Father  to  com^i  h^re,  partly  because  they  were 
all  gone  to  the  Iroquois,  and  partly  because  Father  AUouez, 
who  understood  th*^m  p'^rfectly,  did  not  wish  to  return  here 
for  this  winter,  on  account  of  their  not  showing  enough 
attachment  to  religion  (prayer)-.  They  admitted  that  they 
well-deserved  punishment  and  afterwards,  during  the  winter 
they  spoke  of  it  and  resolved  to  do  better,  which  they  in 
reality  have  shown  me  by  their  conduct. 

Those  of  the  Keinouche^  tribe  declare  loudly  that  the 
t'me  is  not  yet  come  (to  embrace  the  Christian  religion). 
Still  there  are  two  men  formerly  baptized,  one  of  whom 
somewhat  advanced  in  years,  is  considered  a  wonder  among 

1  This  letter  of  Father  Maniuette  was  most  probably  written  at  Sault  Ste. 
Marie  in  the  early  part  of  spring,  1670.  It  seems  he  started  from  his  mission 
at  the  head  of  Chequameg'ou  Bay  in  the  latt-r  part  of  April  or  the  beginning- 
of  May,  when  snow  and  ice  are  not  a  rare  occurrence  on  Lake  Superior.  It 
is  difficult  to  determiUL*  how  long-  he  stopped  at  the  Sault  and  when  he  re- 
turned to  La  Pointe  du  Saint  Esprit. 

2  Keinouche,  French  form  Ko-no-sha,  "pike,"  an  Ottawa  clan,  whose  totem 
was  the  pike;  hence  Kenosha  City,  Wis. 


97 

the  Indians,  not  having  as  yet,  wished  to  get  married.  He 
always  persists  in  his  resolution,  no  matter  what  may  be 
said  to  him  on  that  account.  He  suffers  great  attacks,  even 
from  his  own  relatives,  but  this  has  no  more  effect  on  him 
than  the  loss  of  all  his  merchandise  that  he  had  brought 
along  with  him  last  year  from  the  French  settlements.  He 
had  not  even  as  much  left  to  himself  as  would  cover  him. 
These  are  hard  trials  for  Indians,  the  greater  part  of  whom 
seek  nothing  else  than  to  possess  much  in  this  world. 

The  other,  who  is  a  young  man  newly  married,  seems  to  be 
of  a  different  nature  from  the  rest.  The  Indians,  extraor- 
dinarily attached  as  they  are  to  dreams,  had  concluded 
that  a  certain  number  of  young  men  should  commit  inde- 
cencies with  young  girls,  each  of  the  latter  chosing  for  this 
purpose  any  young  man  she  liked.  This  is  nevt-r  refused, 
because  they  believe  the  life  of  men  depends  upon  it.  They 
call  this  young  Christian.  A. t  first  he  enters  the  wigwam, 
and,  seeing  they  are  about  to  begin  their  orgies,  he  feigns  to 
be  sick  and  immediately  leaves.  They  go  t<>  call  him  back, 
but  he  refuses  to  do  anything  of  the  kind.  He  confesses 
with  prudence  as  great  as  could  be  expected,  and  I  wondered 
that  an  Indian  could  live  so  innocently  and  everywhere  de- 
clare himself  a  Christian  with  so  much  courage.  He  still 
has  his  mother,  who  is  a  good  Christian,  as  are  also  some  of 
his  sisters. 

The  Outaouacs  are  extraordinarily  superstitious  in  their 
feasts  and  juggleries  and  seem  to  harden  themselves  against 
the  instructions  imparted  to  them.  They  are,  however,  well 
satisfied  to  have  their  children  baptized.  God  has  this 
winter  permitted  a  woman  to  die  in  he.r  sins.  Her  sickness 
haH  been  concealed  from  me,  and  I  heard  nothing  ab'>ut  it, 
except  by  a  report  circulated  about  that  she  had  requested  a 
very  bad  dance  to  be  performed  for  her  cure.  I  immediately 
went  into  a  wigwam,  where  all  the  head  men  were  at  a  feast, 
and  among  them  some  Christian  Kiskakonk.  I  pointed  out 
to  them  the  wickedness  of  that  woman  and  of  the  medicine- 
man (in  getting  up  such  an  immodest  danc3).  I  instructed 
them,  speaking  to  all  present,  and  God  willed  that  an  aged 
Outaouac  should  take  the  word,  saying  my  request  should 
be  granted,  no  matter  if  the  woman  were  to  die.  An  aged 
Christian  also  spoke,  telling  the  tribe  the  debaucheries  of  the 
young  people  ought;  to  be  stopped,  and  that  Christian  girls 


ill 


di..  ^1 


98 

should  never  be  allowed  to  be  present  at  these  dances.  To 
satisfy  the  woman  the  dance  wa-i  changed  into  a  child's  play, 
but  this  did  not  prevent  her  from  d^ing  before  day-break. 

The  extreme  danger  in  which  a  ytmng  man  lay  sick,  in- 
duced the  medicine-man  to  sj^y  he  should  invoke  the  devil 
by  means  of  very  extrnor  iinary  superstitious  performances. 
The  Cnristians  ma'le  no  invocation  whatever.  Only  the 
medicine-man  and  the  patient  did  so.  The  latter  was  made 
to  walk  over  larg-^  tires  which  had  been  lightC'l  in  all  t^ie 
wigwams.  They  say  that  he  did  not  feel  the  heat  of  those 
fires,  although  his  body  had  been  anointed  with  oil  during 
five  or  six  days.  Men,  women,  and  children  ran  tVouj  wig- 
wam tJ  wigwam,  proposing,  as  an  enigma,  anything  they 
had  in  ^heir  minds,  and  the  one  who  guessed  it  was  very 
well  satisfied  to  receive  whatever  he  whs  looking  for.  I  ]>re- 
vented  them  from  practicing  the  indecencies  in  which  they 
are  in  the  habit  of  indulging  at  the  end  of  all  these  deviltries. 
I  think  they  will  not  return  to  them  again,  as  the  sick  man 
died  a  short  time  after. 

The  Kiskakonk  tribe,  which  for  three  years  had  refused  to  re- 
ceive the  Gospel  announced  to  them  by  Father  AUouez,  finally 
resolved,  in  the  autumn  of  the  year  1668  to  obey  God.  This 
resolution  was  taken  in  a  council  and  declared  to  the 
Father,  who  was  obliged  to  winter  with  them  for  the  fourth 
time,  in  order  to  instruct  and  baptize  them.  The  headmen 
of  the  tribe  declare  themselves  Christians  and  in  order  to 
attend  to  them,  the  Father  having  gone  to  anotiier  mission, 
the  charge  of  this  one  was  given  to  me,,  of  which  I  went  to 
take  charge  in  the  mo;ith  of  September  of  the  year  1669. 

All  the  Christians  were  in  the  fields  at  that  time,  harvesting 
their  Indian  corn.  They  listened  to  me  with  pleasure,  when 
I  told  f'cm  J  had  come  to  La  Pointe  merely  through  consid- 
eration for  them  and  the  Harons,  that  they  would  never  be 
abandoned,  would  be  cherished  above  all  other  tribes  and 
would  henceforth  form  one  UcTition  with  the  French.  I  had 
the  consolation  of  seeing  their  love  for  religion,  and  how  much 
they  appreciate  their  being  Christians.  1  baptized  the  nev/ly- 
born  children  and  visited  the  old  men,  all  of  whom  I  found 
well  disposed.  The  chief  having  allowed  a  dog  to  be  attached 
to  a  pole  near  his  wigwam,  which  is  a  kind^  of  sacrifice  to  the 
sun,  I  told  him  that  was  not  right,  an^-*  he  immediately 
threw  it  down  himself.     A  sick  man  who  had  been  instructed, 


99 

but  not  3'et  baptized,  begged  me  to  grant  him  thiB  grace,  or  to- 
stay  near  him,  because  he  did  not  wish  to  employ  ihe  medi- 
cine-man to  get  cured,  and  feared  the  hre  of  hell.  I  prepared 
him  for  Baptism.  I  was  often  in  his  wigwam  and  the  joy 
my  visits  occasioned  partly  restored  him  to  health.  He 
thanked  me  for  the  care  I  had  taken  of  him  and  shortly  after, 
saying  I  had  restored  him  to  life,  he  made  me  a  present  of  a 
slave,  who  had  been  brought  to  him  from  the  Illinoio  two  or 
three  months  betore. 

In  the  evening,  being  in  ths  wigwam  of  a  Christian,  where 
I  used  to  sleep,  I  made  him  say  some  prayers  to  the  guardian- 
angel,  and  related  some  anecdotes  to  make  him  understand 
the  assistance  the  angels  give  us,  especially  when  in  dnnger  of 
offending  God.  He  told  me  that  he  now  knew  the  invisible 
hand  that  struck  him,  when,  after  his  Baj)ti3m  he  was  on  the 
point  of  committing  sin  with  a  woman  and,  having  heard  a 
voice  that  told  him  to  remember  he  was  a  Christian,  he 
departed  without  connnitting  this  sin.  Afterwards  he  often 
spoke  to  me  about  the  devotion  to  the  guardian -angels  and 
conversed  about  it  with  other  Indians. 

Some  of  the  young  women  baptized  serve  as  an  example 
to  all  the  rest,  and  are  not  ashamed  to  say  they  are  Chris- 
tians. Marriages*  amongst  Indians  are  dissolved  about  as 
easily  as  they  are  contracted,  and  it  is  no  dishonor  then  to 
marry  son  9  one  else.  Having  learned  that  a  certain  young 
Christian  woman  having  been  abandoned  by  her  husband, 
was  in  the  same  danger  (of  remarrying  invalidly)  on  account 
of  her  relatives,  I  went  to  see  her  and  encouraged  her  to 
behave  in  a  Christian  manner.  She  kept  her  word  so  well 
that  no  one  ever  heard  anything  ill  said  of  her.  Her  conduct 
joined  with  the  remonstrances  I  made  to  her  hu?band,  induced 
him  to  take  her  back  towards  the  close  of  the  winter,  and 
she  failed  not  to  come  immediately  to  the  chapel,  from 
which  she  had  previously  been  too  far  away.  She  opened 
her  conscience  to  me,  and  I  wonder  that  a  young  woman 
lived  in  such  (an  innocent)  way. 

The  pagans  make  no  feast  without  sacriMce,  and  we  find  it 
difficult  to  prevent  them.  The  Christians  have  now  chanj^ed 
this  way  of  acting,  and,  to  accomplish  this  more  readily,  I 


1    See  "Hist,  and  Biog.  Notes,"  where  the  reader  will  find  an  article  on 
Indian  Marriages  by  Nicholas  Perrot,  1665-1701, 


r 


W  :i 


h 

m 


m 


;j.  ,!'■::   .       i 


!-\\:i    * 


jliH      M 


100 

prewerve  a  little  of  their  custom  and  take  from  it  what  is 
bad  They  have  to  make  a  speech  at  the  beginning  of  the 
feast ;  so  they  call  upon  God,  of  whom  they  ask  health  and 
what  they  need,  declaring  that  lor  this  purpose  they  feast 
the  people.  God  has  been  pleased  to  keep  all  the  Christians 
in  health  except  two  children,  whose  sickness  they  sought  to 
hide  from  me,  and  for  whom  a  medicine-man  had  performed 
his  deviltries.     They  died  shortly  after  being  baptized. 

Having  invited  the  Kiskakonk  to  come  and  winter  near 
the  chapel,  they  left  all  the  other  tribes  to  dwell  near  us,  in 
order  to  be  able  to  pray  to  God,  receive  instruction  and  get 
their  children  baptized.  They  declare  themselves  Chris- 
tians, and,  for  that  reason,  I  used  to  add-ess  them  in  all  the 
councils  and  affairs  of  importance.  In  fact,  it  was  enough 
to  let  them  know  what  I  wanted,  in  order  to  obtain  it,  when 
I  addressed  them  in  their  quality  as  Christians ;  tiioy  told 
me,  too,  it  was  on  that  account  they  obeyed  me.  They  have 
taken  the  foremost  place  among  the  other  tribes,  and,  it  may 
be  said,  they  govern  three  of  them.  It  is  a  great  consolation 
to  a  missionary  to  see  people  so  tractable  in  the  midst  of 
barbarism,  to  live  in  so  great  peace  with  Indians,  and 
sometimes  to  pass  whole  days  in  instructing  them  and 
making  them  pray  to  God.  The  rigor  of  the  winter  and  the 
bad  iveather  did  not  prevent  them  from  coming  to  the  chapel. 
There  were  som.e  who  did  not  miss  a  single  day,  and  I 
was  busy  receiving  them  from  morning  till  night.  Some  I 
prepared  for  baptism,  others  I  instructeil  for  confession  and 
still  others  I  disabused  of  their  reveries.  The  old  men  told 
me  the  young  had  not  much  understanding  as  yet,  and  that 
I  should  prevent  their  disorders.  I  often  spoke  to  them 
about  their  daughters,  telling  them  they  should  not  allow 
young  men  to  go  and  visit  them  at  night.  I  knew,  prop- 
erly speaking,  all  that  was  going  on  -amongst  the  two  tribes 
that  were  near  us,  but,  concerning  the  rest,  have  only  heard 
reports.  No  one  ever  spoke  to  me  of  the  Christian  women 
among  them,  and  when  I  asked  the  opinion  of  some  of  the 
ancients,  they  had  nothing  to  answer  me,  except  that  these 
women  prayed  to  God.  I  used  to  often  s  ek  to  impress  this 
point,  well  knowing  all  the  solicitations  Christian  women 
suffer  every  night,  and  what  courage  they  need  to  resist 
them.  They  have  learned  to  be  modest,  and  the  French, 
who  saw  them,  well  noticed  they  were  not  like  the  rest.     It 


101 


is  by  their  modesty  that  Christian  women  are  dintinguished. 
One  day,  instructinj^  the  old  men  in  my  wigwam,  ypeaking 
to  them  about  the  creation  of  the  world  iind  otner  facts 
related  in  the  Old  Testament,  they  told  me  what  they  for- 
merly believed  ;  now  they  regard  ihose  things  as  fables. 
They  have  some  knowledge  of  the  tower  of  Babel,  saying 
their  ancestors  used  to  relate  that  in  olden  times  a  large 
house  had  been  built,  but  that  a  great  wind  had  thrown  it 
down.  They  despise  all  those  petty  gods  which  they  had 
before  they  were  baptized.  They  often  ridicule  them  and 
wonder  at  themselves  for  having  had  so  little  understanding 
as  to  ofler  sacrifices  to  those  fabulous  objects. 

I  baptized  an  adult  after  a  long  trial,  and  his  assiduity  at 
prayer,  his  open-heartedness  in  relating  his  past  life  to  me, 
the  promises  he  made  me,  especially  not  to  go  and  visit 
girls,  the  assurances  they  gave  me  of  his  good  conduct, — all 
this  obliged  me  to  grant  him  what  he  demanded  (i.  e.,  bap- 
tism;. He  has  since  continued  in  his  good  behavior,  and 
immediately  after  his  return  from  the  fishery  he  did  not  fail 
to  come  to  the  chapel.  After  the  Easter  holidays  the  Indi- 
ans separate,  to  hunt  for  a  living.  They  promised  me 
always  to  remember  their  religion,  and  urgently  requested 
that  one  of  our  fathers  might  come  and  seek  them  in  the 
fall,  when  they  would  meet  again.  Their  petition  will  be 
granted,  and  if  it  please  God  to  send  us  as  a  father,  he  will 
take  my  place,  whilst  I,  to  execute  the  orders  of  the  Father 
Superior,  shall  go  to  begin  the  mission  of  the  Illinois. 

The  Illinois  are  thirty  days'  journey  by  land  from  La 
Pointe,  the  way  being  very  difficult.  They  are  south-west- 
ward from  La  Pointe  du  Saint  Esprit.  One  passes  through 
(the  country  inhabited  by)  the  tribe  of  the  Ketehigamins,* 
who  compose  more  than  twenty  large  lodges,  and  live  in  the 
interior.  They  seek  to  get  acquainted  with  the  French,  in 
hopes  of  procuring  tomahawks,  knives  and  other  iron  imple- 
ments from  them.  So  much  do  they  fear  them  that  tney 
took  from  the  fire  two  Illinois,  who,  when  tied  to  the  stake, 
said  the  French  had  declared  they  wished  to  have  peace  all 
over  the  land.  After  that,  the  traveler  passes  through  the 
country  of  the  Miamiouek  (the  Miami)  and,  traversing  great 


1    KetehigamUis,  most  probably  an  error  of  the  copyist,  should  be  Kltoh- 
Igamlns,  "  Lari^e  Lake  People." 


M  1 


■^■^M 


WH- 


102 

prairies,  he  nrrives  in  the  country  of  the  Illinoin,  who  are 
principiy  gathend  in  two  villages,  which  contain  from  eight 
to  nine  thoUKand  houIh.  These  people  are  well  enough  (JIh- 
poHcd  for  ChriBtianity. 

Since  Father  Allouez  exhorted  them  at  La  Pointe  to  adore 
one  God  alone,  they  have  begun  to  abandon  their  false  gods. 
They  adore  the  sun  and  thunder.  Those  whom  I  have  seen 
appear  to  be  of  a  pretty  good  nature.  They  do  not  run 
about  at  night  as  others  do.  A  man  boldly  kills  his  wife  if 
he  learns  that  she  is  unfaithful.  They  are  more  reserved  in 
their  sacritices,  and  promise  me  to  embrace  Christianity  and 
to  do  all  I  will  icll  tlnin,  in  their  country.  With  this  ob- 
ject in  vie\v  the  Outaouacs  have  given  me  a  young  man 
lately  from  the  Illinois  country,  who  has  taught  me  the 
first  rudiments  of  that  language  during  the  leisure  time 
afforded  by  the  Indians  of  La  Pointe  in  the  winter.  The 
Illinois  tongue  is  scarcely  intelligible,  although  it  has  some- 
thing of  the  Algonquin.  Nevertheless,  I  hope  with  the 
assurance  of  the  grace  of  God,  to  understand  and  be  under- 
stood, if  God  in  his  goodness  brings  me  to  that  country. 

A  person  must  not  hope  to  escape  crosses  in  any  of  our 
missions,  and  the  best  way  to  live  contentedly  under  these 
crosses  is  not  to  fear  them,  and,  when  enjoying  little  ones,  to 
await  from  the  goodness  of  God  such  as  are  far  greater.  The 
Illinois  wish  for  us,  Indian-fashion,  to  share  in  their  mise- 
ries and  to  endure  all  that  can  be  imagined  from  their  bar- 
barism. They  are  lost  sheep  that  must  be  hunted  uj)  in  the 
under-brush  and  forests,  especially  as  they  cry  so  loud  for 
some  one  to  go  and  draw  them  out  of  the  jaws  of  the  wolf; 
such  are  the  urgent  requests  they  made  me  during  winter. 

The  Illinois  always  travel  by  land.  They  plant  Indian- 
corn,  of  which  they  have  an  abundance.  They  have  pump- 
kins as  large  as  those  of  France,  and  plenty  of  grapes  and 
other  fruit.  In  their  country  hunting  for  buflfaloes,  bears, 
deer,  turkeys,  ducks,  wild  geese,  pigeons,  and  cranes,  is  very 
profitable.  During  a  certain  season  of  the  year  they  leave 
their  village,  all  of  them,  to  go  in  a  body  to  the  hunting-grounds, 
thus  the  better  to  resist  the  enemies  who  come  to  attack  them. 
They  believe,  if  I  go  there,  I  shall  make  peace  everywhere; 
that  they  will  always  stay  in  the  same  place,  and  only  the 
young  will  go  hunting. 


103 


When  the  llliiuiiH  come  to  La  Pointe,  they  pa>»H  u  lar^^e 
river  nlxmt  n  U'.igu  •  m  wi<lth  (Mi8;<issippi).  It  runs  froni 
north  t  )  Houtli,  and  so  fiir  thit  the  Illinois,  who  do  not  know 
what  a  canoe  is^,  have  not  hcnrd  of  its  njouth.  They  only 
know  that  there  are  very  Inr^e  irihes  further  south  than  they, 
some  of  whom  raise  two  crt)prt  of  Indian-corn  in  a  year.  East 
or  south-east  from  their  country,  a  trihe,  whom  they  call 
Chuouanons,'  came  to  visit  .hem  last  summer.  The  young 
man  who  was  given  to  me  and  who  teaches  me  the  (Illinois) 
language,  saw  tliem.  They  were  laden  with  gla&s-heads,  which 
shows  they  have  interccjurse  with  Europeans.  Tney  had 
traveled  through  a  certain  country  for  almost  thirty  days 
before  arriving  at  this  place  (the  country  of  the  Illinois).  It 
is  hardly  credible  that  this  large  river*  emj)tie8(into  the  sea) 
at  Virginia,  and  we  rather  believe  it  has  its  mouth  in  Califor- 
nia. If  the  Indians  who  have  promised  to  make  me  a  canoe, 
do  not  fail  in  their  word,  we  shall  travel  on  this  river  as  far 
as  possible,  with  a  Frenchmen  and  the  young  man  given  to 
me,  who  knows  some  of  those  languages  and  has  an  a|>tness 
for  learning  others.  We  shall  visit  the  tribes,  who  inhabit 
those  countries,  in  order  ^«)  open  the  way  to  so  many  of  our 
Fathers  who  are  awaiting  this  happiness  since  so  long  a  time. 
This  discovery  will  give  us  a  fall  knowledge  of  the  sea,  either 
that  of  the  south  or  that  of  the  vi^est. 

At  a  distance  of  six  or  seven  days'  journey  further  down 
than  the  Illinois,  there  is  another  large  river,  on  which  there 
are  prodigious  tribes  who  use  wooden  canoes.  We  cannot 
write  anything  else  about  them  until  next  year  if  God 
vouchsafes  to  conduct  us  thither. 

The  Illinois  are  warriors.  They  make  a  number  of  their 
enemies  slaves,  with  whom  they  carry  on  traffic  with  the 
Outaouacs,  to  get  guns,  powder,  kettles,  hatchets  and  knives 
from  them.  They  formerly  had  war  with  the  Nadouessi  and, 
having  made  peace  some  years  ago,  I  confirmed  it,  in  order  to 
make  it  easier  for  them  (the  Illmois)  to  come  to  La  Pointe, 
where  I  go  to  await  them  in  order  to  accompany  them  into 
their  country. 

The  Nadouessi,  beyond  La  Pointe,  who  are  the  Iroquois  of 
this  country,  but  less  perfidious,  and  who  never  attack  with- 

1  Ctiaouanon,  pronounct  d  Shah-wah-non  "Bouthern  people."  the  same 
generally  called  s^hawnees.  They  lived  along'  the  Ohio  Kiver,  and  were  a  very 
populous  tribe,  inoffensive  and  averse  to  war. 

2  The  Mississippi. 


mm 


Vmv"*. 


104 

out  provocation,  are  about  westward  from  the  Mission  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  They  are  a  large  tribe  and  one  that  has  not 
yet  been  vit^ited,  v/e  being  devoted  to  the  conversion  of  the 
Outaouacs.  They  fear  the  French,  because  they  have  brought 
iron  into  the  country.  They  have  a  language  entirely  differ- 
ent from  the  Algonquin  and  Huron.  There  are  a  number  of 
villages  but  they  extend  to  a  very  long  distance.  They  have 
most  extraordinary  ways  of  acting.  They  adore  the  ca'uniet, 
say  not  a  word  at  their  feasts,  and  when  a  stranger  arrives, 
they  feed  him  with  a  wooden  fork,  as  one  would  do  a  child. 
All  the  tribes  of  the  lake  (Superior)  make  war  upon  them, 
but  with  little  t^uccest*.  Thev  have  wild  rice,  ute  snjidl  canoes 
and  keep  their  word  inviolably.  I  have  sent  them  a  present 
by  the  interpreter,  in  order  to  tell  them  to  recognize  tlie  French 
wherever  they  might  meet  them;  not  to  kill  them  nor  the 
Indians  accompanying  them  ;  that  the  Black-gown  wishes  to 
go  to  the  country  of  the  Assinipouars  and  to  that  of  the  Kil- 
istinaux  ;  that  he  has  already  been  with  the  Outagamis,  and 
that  he  will  start  this  fall  to  go  to  r.he  Illinois,  requesting  them 
to  leave  the  way  to  their  country  open.  They  have  cons^  ned 
to  these  demands  :  as  to  my  present,  how  ever,  they  i?aid  they 
were  waiting  for  all  their  people  to  return  from  the  chase,  and 
that  they  world  be  at  La  Pointe  this  tall,  to  hold  a  council 
with  the  Illinois  and  to  speak  with  me.  I  v/ouid  wish  that 
all  the  tribes  had  as  much  love  for  God  as  they  have  fear  of 
the  French  ;   Christianity  would  then  soon  flourish. 

The  Assinipouars,  who  have  about  the  same  language  as 
the  Nadouessi,  are  westward  from  the  Mission  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  a*^,  a  lake  fifteen  or  twenty  days' journey  distant,  where 
they  gpther  wild  rice  and  where  the  fishing  is  very  good.  I 
heard  there  is  a  large  riv(  r  in  their  countr> ,  which  leads  to 
the  Sea  of  the  West,  and  an  Indian  told  me  that  being  at  the 
mouth,  he  had  seen  Frenchmen  there,  and  four  large  canoes 
(vessels)  with  sails. 

The  Kilistinaux  are  a  wandering  people,  and  we  do  not  as 
yet  know  their  rendezvous.  They  are  towards  the  north- 
west from  the  Mission  of  th.e  Holy  Ghost,  always  in  the  woods 
and  have  only  their  bow  and  arrow  with  which  to  make  a 
Uviug.  They  came  to  the  mission,  where  I  was  last  fall,  to 
the  number  of  two  hundred  canoes,  to  buy  merchandise  and 
corn.  They  then  went  to  the  woods  to  %tAy  there  over  winter. 
I  saw  them  again  this  spring  at  the  lake-shore. 


to 

id 

jr. 


105 
CHAPTER  XXVII. 


Necessary  Explanation  in  Order  to  Get  a  Correct  Idea 

OP   THE    OuTAOUAC   MiSSTONS/ 

"  It  is  good  to  give  a  general  idea  of  these  Ovitaoimc  coun- 
tries, not  only  in  order  to  know  the  places  where  the  faith 
has  been  announced  by  the  establishment  of  missions,  but 
also  because  the  king,  having  very  recently*  taken  possession 
of  these  countries  by  a  ceremony  worthy  of  the  oldest  son 
of  the  Church  and  of  a  most  Christian  ruler,  has  placed  all 
these  tribes  under  the  protection  of  the  Cross  before  taking 
them  under  his  own  protection.  He  did  not  wish  to  hoist 
the  insignia  of  royal  power  until  he  had  first  raised  the 
standard  of  Jesus  Christ,  as  shall  be  stated  in  the  narrative 
of  this  act  of  taking  possession. 

Castin  a  glance  on  the  topography  of  the  lakes  and  lands, 
on  which  the  greater  number  of  the  tribes  of  these  quarters 
have  settled,  will  give  more  insight  into  all  these  missions 
than  a  long  discourse  on  the  subject. 

First,  look  at  the  mission  of  Sainte  Marie  Du  Sault  about 
three  leagues  below  the  mouth  of  Lake  Superior.  It  will  be 
seen  situated  on  the  bank  of  the  river  into  which  this  great 
lake  empties,  at  a  place  called  the  Sault,  which  is  very  ad- 
vantageous for  apostolic  functions,  since  it  is  the  great  ren- 
dezvous of  the  main  part  of  the  Indians  of  these  quarters, 
and  the  almost  ordinary  route  of  all  those  who  go  down  to 
the  French  settlements.  Hence  it  is  in  this  place  that  the 
assuming  possession  of  all  these  countries  in  the  name  of  His 
Majesty  took  place,  in  presence  of  fourteen  tribes,  and  with 
their  consent,  they  having  gone  t\ere  for  this  purpose. 

Towards  the  other  ext remit v  of  the  same  lake  is  found  the 
mission  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  whicVi  is  partly  at  a  plr  -e  called 
The  Point  of  Chagaouamipo'^g,  &nd  partly  on  the  neighboring 
islands,  where  the  Ouiaouacs  and  the  Aurons^  of  the  Tionontate 

1  Relation  of  1671,  pp.  24-38. 

2  On  tho  14th  of  June,  1671.   See  next  chaptor. 

3  It  is.  therefore,  hlgrhly  probable  that  these  two  tribes  spent  a  irreat 

Kart  of  the  year  on  the  islands,  and  especially  on  La  Pointe  Island,  and  thut 
oth  Fathers,  Marquette  and  AUoue:,,  said  Mass  and  performed  other  fune- 
tions  of  tho  ministry  there.  As  a  Uxrge  portion  of  the  last  name'^.  island  had 
been  cleared  and  cultivated  by  the  Chlppewas  prior  to  the ir  dispersion,  It  is 
natural  to  suppose  *hat  the  Ottawas  and  Huroas  occupied  the  lands  th^is 
abandoned,  the  u^ore  so  as  the  flshery  was  most  excellent  all  around  the 
island. 


106 

betake  themselves,  according  to  the  season,  either  to  fish  or  to  raise 
Indian  corn. 

It  will  be  easy  to  recognize  the  rivers  and  ways  that  lead 
to  the  different  tribes,  either  settled  down  or  roving  about  in 
the  vicinity  of  this  same  lake,  and  who,  in  some  way,  are 
dependent  on  this  same  mission  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  on 
account  of  the  traffic  that  attracts  them  to  the  place  where 
our  Indians  dwell. 

It  is  towards  the  south  that  the  great  river  called  Missis- 
sippi runs,  which  must  empty  towards  the  Sea  of  Florida, 
more  than  four  hundred  leagues  from  here,  and  of  which 
more  will  be  said  hereafter.  Beyond  the  great  river  are  sit- 
uated eight  villages  of  the  Illinois,  about  one  hundred 
leagues  from  La  Pointe  du  Saint  Esprit.  Forty  or  fifty 
leagues  from  the  same  place,  *vestward,  is  found  the  Na- 
douessi  tribe,  very  populous  and  warlike,  who  are  considered 
the  Iroquois  of  these  countries,  warring  single-handed  with 
all  the  other  tribes  here.  Further  on,  another  tribe  of  an 
unknown  language  is  met  with,  and  after  this  is  passed  they 
say  the  Sea  of  the  West  appears.  Pushing  on  still  towards 
west-northwest,  one  sees  a  tribe  called  Assinipoualac, 
composing  one  large  village,  or,  according  to  others,  thirty 
small  neighboring  villagr^,  somewhat  near  the  Sea  of  the 
North,  at  fifteen  days'  journey  from  the  same  mission  of  the 
Hol^  Ghost. 

Finally  the  Kiiistinons  are  scattered  all  over  the  country 
north  C'f  this  lake,  having  no  corn,  nor  fields,  nor  any  settled 
dwelling  place,  but  incessantly  roaming  about  in  those  great 
forests  to  make  a  living  by  hunting,  like  some  other  tribes 
of  these  quarters,  who,  on  that  account,  are  called  North- 
Land  or  North-Sea  tribes. 

We  might  designate,  en  passant^  all  the  places  of  this  lake, 
where  copper  is  said  to  be  found.  Although  until  now 
people  have  not  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  place  in  which 
it  exists  through  want  of  exact  research,  still  the  ^plates  and 
lumps  of  this  metal,  which  we  have  seen,  and  which  weigh 
each  one  to  two  hundred  pounds — this  large  rock  of  copper 
of  fiom  seven  to  eight  hundred  pounds,  which  all  travelers 
see  towards  the  head  of  the  lake, — besides  a  great  number  of 
pieces  that  are  found  on  the  beach  in  different  places, — all 
this  seems  to  allow  of  no  doubt  that  there  are  some  choice 
mines  of  copper  not  as  yet  discovered. 


107 

Having  glanced  all  over  this  Lake  Superior  and  the  tribes 
living  in  this  vicinity,  we  can  go  down  towards  the  lake  of 
the  Hurons  and  notice  there,  almost  in  the  middle  (of  said 
lake,  on  the  Manitoulin  Island),  the  mission  ">f  St.  Simon, 
established  on  the  islands  that  formerly  had  bten  the  true 
country  of  some  Outaouac  tribes,  but  which  they  were 
obliged  to  abandon  when  the  Iroquois  desolated  the  Huron 
country.  Since  the  time,  however,  that  the  arms  of  the 
king  have  compelled  the  Iroquois  to  live  in  peace  with  our 
Algonquins,  a  part  of  the  Outaouacs  have  returned  to  their 
country,  and  we,  at  the  same  time,  have  chosen  the  site  for 
this  mission,  with  which  we  connected  ihe  Mississagwe* 
tribe,  the  Amicoues  and  their  neighbors,  to  whom  we  have 
annnounced  the  faith  and  of  whom  we  have  baptized  a  great 
many  children,  as  well  as  adults. 

Towards  the  south  and  at  the  other  side  of  the  lake 
(Huron)  are  the  lands  formerly  inhabited  by  different  tribes 
of  Harons  and  Outaouacs,  who  had  settled  at  some  distance 
from  one  another,  as  far  as  the  famous  island  of  Missili- 
makinac.  Near  this  island,  as  the  place  most  renowned  for 
its  abundance  of  fish,  different  tribes  had  formerly  made 
their  abode.  If  they  see  that  the  peace  (forced  upon  the 
Iroquois  by  the  victorio\is  arms  of  France)  is  good  and 
strong,  Ihey  declare  they  will  return  thither.  For  this  rea- 
son we  have  already ,  to  some  extent,  laid  the  foundation 
there  of  the  mission  of  St.  Ignace  during  the  last  winter  wc 
spent  there. 

From  there  (Missilimackinac)  you  enter  the  lake  called 
Mitchiganons  (Michigan),  to  which  the  Illinois  have  left 
their  name.  After  those  people  who  had  formerly  dwelt 
near  the  Sea  of  the  West  had  been  driven  away  by  their 
enemies,  they  came  to  seek  refuge  on  the  shores  of  this  lake. 
There  the  Iroquois  dispossessed  them ;  so  they  finally 
retired  a  seven-days' journey  beyond  the  great  river  (Missis- 
sippi). It  will  be  seen  hereafter  that  a  part  of  this  tribe 
have  begun  to  be  enlif^htened  by  the  light  of  faith  which  we 
have  brought  to  this,  their  dwelling-place.* 

1  This  mission  was  probably  founded  by  Father  Dablon  in  the  winter  of 
1670-71. 

2  In  1670  the  Illinois  were  twice  visited  at  their  village  on  the  Upper  Pox 
Kiver,  nine  miles  from  Portage  City  ;  the  first  time  by  Father  Allouez  on  the 
29th  of  April,  and  the  second  time  by  both  Fathers  DaUlon  and  Ailouoz  on  the 
15th  of  rieptember.  The  main  body  of  the  Illinois,  however,  resided  further 
south,  in  Iowa  and  Illinois. 


108 


S|»T 


'It" 


Finally,,  between  this  Lake  of  the  Illinois  and  Lake  Su- 
perior a  long  bay  is  seen,  called  the  Bay  of  the  Puants  (Green 
Bay),  at  the  head  of  which  is  the  Mission  of  St.  Francis 
Xavier.  At  the  entrance  of  this  bay  the  Huron  Islands  are 
to  be  met  with,  so  called  because  the  Hurons,  after  the 
desolation  of  their  country,  retired  thither  for  some  time. 
On  one  of  them,  especially,  are  found  certain  kinds  of  emer- 
alds like  diamonds,  some  white,  others  green.  Further  on 
still,  northward,  a  lather  small  river  can  be  seen,  to  which 
the  name  of  Copper  River  has  been  given,  on  account  of  a 
mass  of  metal,  weighing  over  two  hundred  pounds,  which  we 
have  seen  there. 

Going  towards  the  head  of  said  bay,  the  river  of  the 
Oumaloumines  is  seen,  which  (word)  means  Wild  Rice 
tribe.  This  tribe  is  dependent  upon  the  Mission  of  St. 
Francis  Xavier,  as  also  that  of  the  Pouteouatami,  Ousaki 
and  other  tribes,  who,  having  been  driven  from  their  coun- 
try, which  are  the  lands  of  the  south,  near  Missilimackinac, 
have  fled  to  the  head  of  this  bay.  Beyond  this  bay,  in  the 
interior,  can  be  noticed  the  Fire  tribe,  or  Mashkoutench, 
with  one  of  the  Illinois  tribes,  called  Lesoumami,  and  the 
Outagami.  Of  them  more  shall  be  said  in  detail,  as  well  as 
of  all  the  rest  that  have  been  mentioned,  the  faith  having 
been  announced  to  nearly  nil  of  them.  Some  of  inem  have 
embraced  it,  making  public  profession  of  Christianity ; 
others  have  not  as  yet  declared  themselves,  although  many 
individuals  have  received  holy  baptism,  and  the  most  of 
t^^em  the  instructions  necessary  for  receivingr  it. 

The  rest,  finally,  who  are  more  distant  towards  the  south 
and  westward,  either  begin  to  come  to  us — for  the  Illinois 
have  already  arrived  at  this  bay,  or  they  are  waiting  till  we 
can  push  through  to  the  place  in  which  they  rcRide.  Of 
this  we  shall  treat  -  more  in  detail  when  speaking  of  the 
Missions  in  succession.  Then  we  shall  touch  upon  the  more 
rare  and  curious  things  to  be  found  in  those  lands  and  the 
tribes  newly  discovered." 


act 


109 
CHAPTER  XXVII. 


The  Formal  Taking  Possession  of  the  Entire  Outaouac 
Country,  in  the  name  of  tae  King  of  France. 

"  We*  do  not  claim  to  give  a  stat^-raent  here  of  all  that  took 
place  at  this  ceremony,  but  will  relate  only  what  concerns 
Christianity  and  the  good  of  the  missions,  which  will  now 
flourish  more  than  ever,  after  that  which  took  place  to  their 
advantage,  on  this  occasion. 

Monsieur  Talon,  our  Intendant,  on  his  return  from  Portugal 
and  after  his  shipwreck,  received  orders  from  the  king  again 
to  pass  over  into  this  country.  He  was  ordered  by  His 
Majesty  at  the  same  time  to  labor  strongly  at  the  establish- 
ment of  Christianity  by  favoring  our  missions,  and  to  make 
known  the  name  and  power  of  our  invincible  monarch  among 
even  the  most  unknown  and  distant  tribes.  This  order,  sup- 
ported by  the  intentions  of  the  minister,  who  is  always 
equally  watchful  to  extend  the  glory  of  God  and  to  procure 
that  of  his  king  in  every  land,  was  executed  as  soon  as 
practicable.  No  sooner  had  Monsieur  Talon  landed  than  he 
thought  of  the  means  to  make  it  successful.  Hence  he  chose 
Sieur  Lusson,  whom  he  commissioned,  in  his  place  and  in 
the  name  of  His  Majesty,  to  take  possession  of  the  lands  be- 
tween the  East  and  the  West,  from  Montreal  to  the  Sea  of 
the  South,  as  much  and  as  far  as  could  be  included  in  this 
act  of  taking  possession. 

For  this  purpose,  having  wintered  at  the  Lake  of  the 
Hurons,  he  went  to  Sainte  Marie  of  the  Sault  in  the  beginning 
of  May  in  this  year,  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  seveniy- 
one.  He  first  convoked  the  tribes  of  the  surrounding  country 
of  more  than  a  hundred  leagues,  who,  in  the  person  of  their 
ambassadors,  met  there  to  the  number  of  fourteen  tribes.' 

1  "Relation"  of  1671,  pp.  26-28. 

2  The  Chippewas,  according  to  their  traditional  accounts,  went  the^'e 
"headed  by  tneir  chief  Ke-che-ne-zuh-yauh,  head  chief  of  the  irreat  Crane 
family.  Addressing  him.  the  French  envoy  said:  "Every  morning  you  will 
look  towards  the  rising  of  the  sun  and  you  shall  see  the  Are  of  your  French 
father  (king  of  France)  reflecting  towards  you  to  warm  you  and  your  people. 
If  you  are  In  trouble,  you,  the  Crane,  must  arise  in  the  skies  and  cry  with  your 
'far  sounding'  voice  and  I  will  hear  you.  The  Are  of  your  French  father  shall 
last  forever  and  warm  his  children.'*  At  the  end  of  this  address  a  gold  medal 
shaped  like  a  heart  was  placed  on  the  breast  of  the  chief  and  by  this  mark  of 
honor  he  was  recognized  as  chief  of  the  Lake  Superior  Ojibway^."  (W  m.  W. 
Warren  In  Minn.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  v,  pp.  131-32.)    ' 


110 

Having  made  the  necessary  arrangements  so  that  all  might 
tend  to  the  honor  of  France,  he  began  the  fourth  («hoiild  be 
14th)  of  June  of  the  same  year  by  an  act  the  most  solemn 
that  had  ever  taken  place  in  those  countries. 

All  the  people  being  assembled  for  a  grand  public  council, 
and,  having  selected  a  rising  piece  of  ground  very  proper  for 
his  design,  which  hill  overlooks  the  Chippewa  villnge,  he 
caused  a  Cross  to  be  erected  there  and  then  had  the  arms  of 
the  king  hoisted  with  all  the  magnificence  he  could  devise. 

The  Cross  was  publicly  blessed  with  all  the  ceremonies  of 
the  church  by  the  superior  of  those  missions  and,  while  lift- 
ing it  from  the  ground  in  order  to  plant  it,  the  hymn  "Vexilla 
Regis"  was  sung,  which  a  good  number  of  French,  who  were 
present  on  this  occasion,  entoned  to  the  admiration  of  all  the 
Indians,  there  being  mutual  joy  in  the  hearts  of  both  classes 
at  the  sight  of  this  glorious  standard  of  Jesus  Christ,  which 
appeared  only  to  be  lifted  up  so  high  in  order  to  rule  over 
the  hearts  of  these  poor  people. 

Then  the  escutcheon  of  France,  having  been  attached  to  a 
cedar-pole,  was  raised  above  the  Cross,  whilst  the  oration 
"Exaudiat"  was  being  sung,  and  they  were  praying  at  this 
end  of  the  world  for  the  sacred  person  of  His  Majesty.  After 
this  Monsieur  de  Saint  Lusson  observing  all  the  formalities 
generally  observed  on  such  occasions,  took  possession  of 
these  countries,  the  air  resounding  with  redoubled  cries  of 
"Vive  le  Roy  !"  and  the  firing  of  guns,  to  the  astonishment 
of  all  those  people,  who  had  never  before  seen  anything 
similar. 

After  free  scope  had  been  given  to  this  confused  noise  of 
voices  and  guns,  a  great  silence  came  upon  the  whole  as- 
sembly. Then  Father  Allouez  commenced  the  eulogy  of  the 
king,  to  make  known  to  all  those  tribes  who  this  monarch 
was,  whose  arms  they  saw  and  to  whose  power  they  had  this 
day  submitted  themselves.  Being  well  versed  in  their 
language  and  ways,  he  knew  so  well  how  to  accommodate 
himself  to  their  mental  capacity,  that  he  gave  them  such  an 
exalted  idea  of  the  greatness  of  our  incomparable  sovereign, 
that  they  declared  they  had  no  word  to  express  what  they 
thought  of  it. 

The  Father  spoke  as  follows:  "Behold,  a  noble  affair  pre- 
sents itself  to  us,  my  brethren;  grand  and  important  is  the 
affair,  which  is  the  object  of  tnis  council.    Look  up  to  the 


Ill 


Cross,  elevated  so  high  above  your  heads.  To  such  it  was 
that  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  having  become  man  for 
the  love  of  man,  allowed  himself  to  be  fastened  and  to  die, 
in  order  to  render  satisfaction  to  the  eternal  Father  for  our 
sins.  He  is  the  master  of  our  lives,  of  heaven  and  earth  and 
hell.  It  is  of  Him  I  always  speak  to  you,  and  His  name  and 
word  I  have  carried  into  all  these  countries.  But  look,  at 
the  same  time,  at  this  other  pole,  to  which  are  attached  the 
arms  of  the  great  chief  of  France,  whom  we  call  the  king.  He 
lives  beyond  the  sea.  He  is  the  chief  of  the  greatest  chiefs; 
he  has  not  his  equal  on  earth.  All  the  chiefs  you  have  ever 
Been  or  heard  of  are  but  children  in  comparison  to  him  ;  he 
is  like  a  great  tree  and  they,  they  are  only  like  small  plants, 
which  are  trampled  under  foot  in  walking.  You  know  On- 
nontio,  the  celebrated  chief  of  Quebec,  you  know  and  ex- 
perience how  he  is  the  terror  of  the  Iroquois,  and  his  mere 
name  makes  them  tremble,  since  be  ravished  their  country 
and  carried  fire  into  their  villages.  There  are  beyond  the 
sea  ten  thousand  Onnontios  like  him,  who  are  but  the 
soldiers  of  this  grand  chief,  our  great  king,  of  whom  I  am 
speaking.  When  he  says  the  word,  "  I  am  going  to  war," 
every  one  obeys  him  and  those  ten  thousand  chiefs  raise 
companies  each  of  one  hundred  soldiers,  both  on  land  and 
sea.  Some  embark  in  ships,  one  to  two  hundred  in  number, 
such  as  you  have  seen  at  Quebec.  Your  canoes  carry  fotir 
or  five  men,  or,  at  the  highest,  from  ten  to  twelve.  Our 
French  ships  carry  four,  five  hundred  and  even  as  many  as  a 
thousand.  Others  go  to  war  on  land,  but  in  numbers  so 
great,  that,  ranged  in  double  file,  they  would  reach  from  here 
to  Mississaquenk,  although  we  count  more  than  twenty 
leagues  till  there.  When  he  attacks,  it  is  more  terrible  than 
thunder;  the  earth  trembles,  the  air  and  sea  are  on  fire  with 
the  discharge  of  his  cannon.  He  has  been  seen  in  the  midst 
of  his  troops,  covered  all  over  with  the  blood  of  his  enemies, 
of  whom  so  many  have  been  put  to  the  sword  by  him,  that 
he  does  not  count  the  scalps,  but  only  the  streams  of  blood 
which  he  has  caused  to  flow.  He  carries  off  so  great  a  num- 
ber of  prisoners  of  war,  that  he  makes  no  account  of  them , 
but  lets  them  go  wherever  they  like,  to  show  that  he  does  not 
fear  them.  At  present  no  one  dares  to  make  war  on  him; 
all  those  living  beyond  the  sea  have  sued  him  for  peace  with 
the  greatest  submission.    From  all  parts  of  the  world  people 


112 

go  to  see  him,  to  hear  and  admire  him.  It  is  he  alone  that 
decides  all  the  affairs  of  the  world.  What  shall  I  say  of  his 
riches?  You  esteem  yourselves  rich,  when  you  have  ten  or 
twelve  sacks  of  corn,  some  hatchets,  beads,  kettles^  or  some 
other  things  similar.  He  has  more  cities  belonging  to  him 
than  there  are  men  among  you  in  all  these  countries  in  five 
hundred  leagues  around.  In  each  city  there  are  stores  in 
which  enough  axes  could  be  found  to  cut  down  all  your 
forests  ;  enough  kettles  to  boil  all  your  moose,  and  enough 
glass  beads  to  fill  all  your  wigwams.  His  house  is  longer 
than  from  here  to  the  head  of  the  Sault,  that  is,  more  than 
a  half  a  league  ;  it  is  higher  than  the  highest  of  your  trees, 
and  it  holds  more  families  than  the  largest  of  your  villages 
can  contain.*" 

The  Father  added  many  other  things  of  this  kind,  which 
were  listened  to  by  these  people  with  wonder,  all  being 
astonished  to  learn  that  there  was  a  man  on  earth  so  great, 
so  rich,  and  so  powerful. 

After  this  discourse  Monsieur  de  Lusson  spoke  and  declared 
to  them,  after  the  manner  of  a  warrior  ana  in  an  eloquent 
way,  the  objects  for  which  he  had  convoked  them,  especially 
that  he  was  sent  to  take  possession  of  this  country,  to  re- 
ceive them  under  the  protection  of  this  great  king,  whose 
panegyric  they  had  just  heard,  and  to  make  only  one  land  of 
theirs  and  ours.  The  whole  ceremony  was  concluded  with  a 
beautiful  bonfire,  which  was  lighted  at  night,  when  the  "  Te 
Deum  "  was  sung  to  thank  God,  in  the  name  of  these  poor 
people,  that  they  were  henceforth  to  be  the  subjects  of  so 
grand  and  powerful  a  "monarch."' 


1  The  good  Father  Indulged  In  hyperbolic  language,  to  impress  his 
dusky  hearers  with  a  great  idea  of  the  grandeur  of  the  "Grand  Monarch," 
Lou  Is  XIV. 

2  See  "Hist,  and  biog.  notes"  in  regard  to  the  most  important  actors 
and  witnesses  of  this  great  convocation. 


Bf~ 


113 
CHAPTER  XXIX. 


The  Mission  of  the  Holy  Ghost  at  the  Extremity  of  Lake 
Superior  abandoned  ;  Father    Marquette    goes  to 

MiSSILIMACKINAC. 

"^These  quarters  of  the  north  have  their  Iroquois  just  as 
wf'l  as  those  of  the  south.  Such  are  certain  tribes  called 
Nadouessi,  who  have  rendered  themselves  formidable  to  all 
their  neighbors,  because  they  are  naturally  warlike,  and,  al- 
though they  use  only  the  bow  and  arrow,  they  use  them 
with  such  skill  and  dexterity,  that  in  a  moment  the  air  is 
filled  with  them,  especially  when,  like  the  Parthians,  they 
turn  their  face  in  flying,  for  then  they  are  no  less  to  be  feared 
when  they  flee  than  when  they  attack. 

They  dwell  on  the  banks  and  in  the  vicinity  of  the  great 
river  called  Mississippi.  They  consist  of  no  less  than  fifteen 
villages,  pretty  well  settled.  Still  they  do  not  know  how  to 
cultivate  the  land,  so  as  to  plant  or  raise  anything.  Thev 
content  themselves  with  a  kind  of  marsh  rye  that  we  call 
wild  rice,  which  the  prairies  supply  spontaneously.  Thev 
divide  the  ground  whereon  this  wild  rice  grows,  so  that  eacn 
one  can  reap  his  own  separately,  without  trespassing  upon 
his  neighbor's  patch. 

They  are  located  about  sixty  leagues  from  the  end  of  Lake 
Superior,  towards  sun-set,  in  the  midst  of  the  tribes  of  the 
west,  all  hostile  to  them  by  a  general  league  against  the 
common  foe. 

They  speak  a  language  altogether  peculiar  and  entirely 
different  from  that  of  the  Algonquins  and  Hurons  whom 
they  surpass  by  far  in  generosity,  often  being  satisfied  with 
the  glory  of  having  been  victorious  and  sending  the  prisoners 
back  free,  whom  they  had  captured  in  battle,  without  doing 
them  any  harm. 

Our  Outaouacs  and  Hurons  of  La  Pointe  du  Saint  Esprit 
had  until  now  preserved  a  kind  of  peace  with  them.  Affairs 
having  become  embroiled,  however,  last  winter,  so  that  some 
murders  were  even  committed  on  both  sides,  our  Indians  had 
reason  to  fear  that  the  storm  might  burst  upon  them.    They 

"Relation"  of  1671,  pp.  39,  40. 


114 

considered  it  safer  to  leave  the  place,  which  in  fact  they  did 
in  the  spring  (of  1671)  when  they  withdrew  to  the  Lake  of 
the  Hurons.  The  Outaouacs  went  to  live  on  the  Island  of 
Ekaentoiiton  (Manitoulin)  with  those  of  their  tribe,  who  last 
year  had  gone  there  in  advance  and  where  we  afterwards 
established  the  mission  of  St.  Simon.  The  Hurons  settled 
on  the  famous  island  of  Missilimackinac,  where  we  com- 
menced last  winter  xhe  mission  of  St.  Ignace. 

As  in  imch  like  migrations  people's  minds  are  not  calm 
enough,  Father  Marquette,  who  had  charge  of  this  mission 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  had  more  to  suffer  than  to  do  for  the  con- 
version of  those  people.  Witli  the  exception  of  some  children 
whom  he  baptized,  the  sick  he  consoled,  and  the  instructions 
he  continued  for  those  who  make  profession  of  Christianity, 
he  was  unable  to  pay  much  attention  to  the  conversion  of 
the  rest.  He  was  obliged  like  them  to  abandon  this  post,  to 
follow  his  flock,  undergo  the  same  hardships  and  encounter 
the  same  dangers  as  they,  to  go  to  this  country  of  Missili- 
mackinac, where  they  had  formerly  dwelt.  They  have  good 
reason  for  preferring  this  locality  to  many  others  on  account 
of  the  advantages  we  have  mentioned  above,  and  also  be- 
cause the  climate  seems  to  be  entirely  different  there  from 
that  of  the  surrounding  country ;  for  the  winter  is  somewhat 
short,  not  having  begun  till  long  after  Christmas  and  ended 
towards  the  middle  of  March,  when  we  saw  spring  return. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


Father  Marquette  at  St.  Ignace. 

"  The*  Hurons  of  the  Tobacco  tribe,  called  Tionnontate, 
having  been  lormevly  driven  from  their  country  by  the 
Iroquois,  fled  to  this  island,  named  Missilimackinac,  so 
famous  for  its  fishery.  They  could  only  stay  a  few  years, 
however,  the  very  same  enemies  obliging  them  to  leave  this 
very  advantageous  post.  They  withdrew,  therefore,  still 
further  to  the  islands  which  still  bear  their  name,  and  are 
located  at  the  entrance  of  the  Bay  of  the  Puants.  Not  find- 
ing themselves  suflSciently  safe,  however,  even  there,  they 

1    Relation  of  1672,  pp.  35  and  36. 


115 


be. 


US 


went  far  back  into  the  woods,  and  from  there  finally  chose 
as  their  last  dwelling-place  the  extremity  of  Lake  Superior, 
in  a  place  called  La  Pointe  du  Saint  Esprit.  There  they 
were  far  enough  awy  from  the  Iroquois  not  to  fear  them, 
but  they  were  too  near  the  Nadouessi,  who  are,  as  it  were, 
the  Iroquois  of  these  quarters  of  the  North,  being  the  most 
powerful  and  war-like  people  of  this  country. 

Still  all  proceeded  peaceably  enough  for  several  years 
until  the  last  (1671),  when  the  Nadouessi  having  been  irri- 
tated by  the  Hurons  and  Outaouacs,  war  broke  out  between 
them,  and  it  began  so  furiously  that  several  prisoners  taken 
on  both  sides  were  consigned  to  the  flames. 

The  Nadouessi,  however,  did  not  wish  to  begin  any  act  of 
hostility  until  after  they  had  returned  to  Father  Marquette 
some  pictures  of  which  he  had  made  them  a  present,  so  as 
to  give  them  some  idea  of  our  religion  and  thus  to  instruct 
them  by  the  eye,  as  he  was  unable  to  do  otherwise  on  ac- 
count of  their  language,  which  is  altogether  different  from 
the  Algonquin  and  Huron. 

Enemies  so  formidable  soon  struck  terror  into  the  heart 
of  our  Hurons  and  Outaouacs,  who  determined  to  abandon 
La  Pointe  du  Saint  Esprit  and  all  the  fields  they  had  so  long 
cultivated. 

In  their  flight  the  Hurons,  remembering  the  great  advan- 
tages they  had  formerly  found  at  Missilimackinac,  turned 
their  eyes  thither,  as  to  a  place  of  refuge,  which  they  actually 
reached  a  year  ago. 

This  place  has  all  the  advantages  that  can  be  desired  by 
Indians.  Fish  is  abundant  there  at  all  seasons,  the  land  is 
productive,  and  the  chase  for  bears,  deer  and  lynx  is  carried 
on  with  great  success.  Besides,  it  is  the  great  rendezvous  of 
all  the  tribes  who  are  going  to  or  coming  from  the  north  or 
south. 

For  this  reason,  foreseeing  what  since  has  actually  taken 
place,  we  erected  a  chapel  there  last  year  already,  in  order  to 
receive  those  passing  by  and  to  attend  to  the  Hurons,  who 
have  settled  there. 

Father  Marcjuette,  who  has  followed  them  from  La  Pointe 
du  Saint  Esprit,  still  has  charge  of  them.  As  he  has  not 
given  us  any  particular  memoirs  of  what  has  taken  place  in 
this  Mission  (of  St.  Ignace),  all  that  can  be  said  of  it  is  that 
this  tribe,  having  been  formerly  lai&ed  in  the  Christian 


i^St 


116 

religion  prior  to  the  destruction  of  the  Huron  nation,  those 
who  have  persevered  in  the  faith  are  at  present  very  fervent. 
They  fill  the  chapel  every  day— yes,  even  often  during  the 
dav  do  they  visit  it.  They  sing  the  praises  of  God  with 
a  devotion  which  has  thus  been  communicated,  in  a  great 
measure,  to  the  French,  who  have  witnessed  it.  Aaults 
have  been  baptized  and  old  men  set  a  good  example  to  the 
childre.i  to  go  to  prayers  diligently.  In  a  w<n*d,  they  prac- 
tice all  the  exercises  of  piety  that  can  be  expected  of  Chris- 
tians formed  over  twenty  years  ago,  although  for  the  greatest 
Eart  of  that  time  they  were  without  a  church  and  pastor, 
aving  no  other  teacher  than  the  Holy  Ghost." 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Subsequent  Career  of  Father  Marquette — He  Discovers 
AND  Explores  the  Mississippi — Returns  to  the  Bay 
OF  the  Puants  (Green  Bay). 

Father  Marquette  left  lia  Pointe  du  Saint  Esprit  in  the 
spring  of  1671.  He  did  not  reach  Sault  Ste.  Marie  in  time  for 
tne  great  gathering  there  on  the  14th  of  June  of  that  same 
year,  as  his  name  is  not  to  be  seen  on  the  document  drawn 
upon  that  occasion  and  signed  by  all  the  Fathers  present.* 
He  found  at  Missilimackinac  a  chapel  built  the  winter  before 
by  Father  Dablon.  He  also  found  there  380  Christian 
Hurons  and  60  Outaouac  Sinagaux.  The  latter  were  as  yet 
pagans,  but  eager  to  embrace  Christianity.    They  attended 

Erayer  meetings  regularly  and  brought  their  children  to 
ave  them  baptized.  During  the  summer  of  1671  Father 
Marquette  weiit  to  the  Sault,  in  company  with  Father 
Allcuez.     He  was  only  absent  two  weeks,  but  so  much  were 

\  We  have  compiled  this  narrative  of  Father  Marquette's  voyage  of  dis- 
covery, his  last  trip  to  the  Illinois,  and  his  death  on  the  east  shore  of  Lake 
MichlA[an,  from  the  "  Relations"  as  given  in  Shea's  •'  Discovery  and  Explora- 
tion of  the  Mississippi,"  which  work,  as  well  as  all  others  of  this  gifted  author, 
we  take  great  pleasure  in  recommending  to  our  readers. 

2  See  *•  Hist,  and  biog.  Notes  "  in  regard  to  the  signers  of  the  "  procez- 
verbaux"  drawn  up  at  the  formal  taking  possession  of  the  Ottawa  country, 
in  the  name  of  the  King  of  i"  ranee.  Marquette  did  not  sign  that  document. 
He  probably  left  his  Mission  at  the  head  of  Ashland  Bay  early  In  the  spring 
of  1671,  probably  as  soon  as  navigation  opened  i,,?  Lake  Superior.  No  doubt 
his  people,  dreading  a  Sioux  massacre,  left  as  soon  as  practicable. 


117 


hie  Indians  attached  to  him  that  they  counted  the  days  and 
received  him  with  every  demonstration  of  joy  at  his  return. 
In  1672  Louis  de  Huade,  Comte  de  Frontenac,  succeeded 
M.  de  Courcelles  as  governor  of  Canada.  At  Hoon  as  he 
arrived,  M.  Talon,  the  Intendant,  laid  before  him  the  plan  of 
exploring  the  Mississippi  River  For  this  great  undertaking 
thoy  chose  the  Sieur  Jollyet,  wishing  to  have  Father  Mar- 

?[uette  accompany  him.  On  the  8th  of  December,  1672, 
east  of  the  Immaculate  Concepticu,  Jollyet  arrived  at  St. 
Ignace,  Mackinaw,  and  told  Father  Manjuette  the  joyful 
news  of  their  appointment  to  visit  and  explore  the  Missis- 
sippi. The  pious  missionary  was  more  than  glad.  For 
years  he  had  longed  for  an  opportunity  to  visit  tne  "  Great 
Kiver."  Ever  since  he  had  come  to  the  Ottawa  country  he 
had  invoked  Mary  Immaculate  to  obtain  the  grace  for  him 
to  be  able  to  visit  the  nations  on  the  Mississippi.  Now  his 
prayer  was  about  to  be  be  heard.  He  placed  his  intended 
voyage  under  the  special  protection  of  the  Immaculate 
Mother  of  God,  promising  her  that,  should  he  be  so  happy 
as  to  discover  the  great  river,  he  would  call  it  Conception 
River  and  give  the  same  name  to  the  first  Mission  he  would 
found  among  the  Illinois.  Five  Frenchmen  volunteered  to 
share  with  Marquette  and  Jollyet  the  hardships  and  dangera 
of  so  glorious  an  enterprise.  The  winter  of  1672-3  w/is 
spent  in  making  the  necessary  preparations  and  collecting 
information  from  the  Indians.  They  drew  up  a  map,  on 
which  were  marked  the  course  of  the  rivers  they  were  to 
navigate,  the  names  of  the  tribes  and  localities  through 
which  they  were  to  pass,  the  course  of  the  great  river,  etc. 
All  their  provisions  consisted  of  some  corn  ard  emoked 
meat.  They  had  two  small  birch  canoes,  in  which  they 
navigated  all  the  way  from  Mackinaw  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Arkansas  River  and  back,  a  distance  of  over  2,700  miles. 

On  the  17th  of  May,  1673,  they  started  from  Mackinaw. 
On  his  way  Father  Marquette  visited  the  Menominees  on 
Menominee  River.  This  ri  rer  forms  the  north-eastern  boun- 
dary line  of  Wisconsin.  He  there  found  some  good  Chris- 
tians and  told  them  he  was  on  hie  way  to  explore  the  great 
river.  They  were  extremely  surprised  and  tried  all  they 
couid  to  dissuade  him  from  his  undertaking. 

They  told  him  he  would  meet  with  savage  tribes,  who 
showed  no  mercy  to  strangers,  but  would  crush  their  skulls 


118 

Tvithout  any  reason  whatever  ;  that  war  had  broken  out 
betv/e^n  the  tribes  living  along  'the  proposed  route,  which 
would  leave  them  exposed  to  the  danger  of  being  killed  by 
some  roving  band  ;  besides,  the  great  river  was  very  danger- 
ous to  such  as  were  unacquainted  with  the  difficult  places, 
and  was,  moreover,  full  ot  horrible  monsters  that  devoured 
both  man  and  boat ;  that  a  demon,  or  manitou,  obstructed 
the  passage  and  drowned  all  who  dared  to  come  near;  finally, 
that  the  htat  was  unsupportable,  infallibly  causing  death. 

Father  Marquette  thanked  them  for  their  advice,  which, 
however,  he  said  he  could  not  follow,  as  there  was  a  question 
of  saving  immortal  souls,  for  which  he  would  gladly  give  up 
his  life.  He  made  light  of  their  pretended  demon,  and  said 
they  would  defend  themselves  against  sea-monsters  and 
guard  against  the  other  dangers,  too,  with  which  they  had 
threatened  him.  He  then  had  prayers  recited,  gave  them 
some  instruction  and  embarked  with  his  companions.  They 
arrived  safely  at  the  Mission  of  St.  Francis,  at  the  head  of 
Green  Bay,  where  they  found  more  than  2,000  Indian  con- 
verts. They  went  up  the  Pox  River,  which  was  very  diffi- 
•cult  on  account  of  the  many  rapids,  strong  current  and  rocks 
in  the  bed  of  the  river,  which,  being  sharp,  cut  their  feet 
and  injured  their  canoes,  as  they  were  obliged  to  drag  them 
up  stream. 

Passing  through  Lake  Winnebago,  they  entered  the  Upper 
Fox  River  and,  on  the  7th  of  June,  arrived  at  the  village  oi 
the  Mashkoutens.  It  was  situated  about  t\70  miles  from  the 
river,  on  a  rising  piece  of  ground,  which  commanded  a 
beautiful  view  of  the  surrounding  country.  There  were  three 
tribes  at  the  village ;  the  Mashkoutens,  the  Miami,  and  the 
Kikabous.  The  Miami  are  described  by  the  Father  as  being 
brave,  intelligent,  civil  and  docile.  The  other  two  were  rude 
and  ignorant.  He  was  agreeably  surprised  at  seeing  a  large 
cross  erected  in  the  midst  of  the  village.  It  was  ornamented 
with  all  kinds  of  Indian  presents  in  tha^^kogiving  to  the  Great 
Spirit  for  their  lucky  chase  during  the  past  winter. 

The  headmen  of  the  village  were  convoked  and  Jollyet  told 
them  he  had  been  sent  by  the  Governor  of  Canada  to  discover 
new  lands.  Father  Marquette  said  he  had  been  sent  on  the 
part  of  God,  to  enlighten  them  with  the  light  of  the  Holy 
•Gospel.  "  1  he  master  of  our  lives,"  he  said  to  them,  "desires 
.to  be  known  by  all  the  nations.    To  obey  His  will,  I  fear  not 


'»ahw«i»ri 


^ 


res 
tot 


119 

death,  to  which  I  am  exposing  myself  in  making  such  a  per- 
ilous voyage."  They  then  gave  the  Indians  a  present,  asking 
them  for  two  guides  to  put  them  on  the  way.  The  Indians 
answered  them  civilly,  offered  them  a  mat  as  a  present,  and 
gave  them  two  Miami  guides,  who  went  with  them  some  nine 
miles,  as  far  as  the  portage  between  the  Fox  and  Wisconsin, 
helped  them  to  transport  their  baggage  across  this  portage, 
and  then  returned  to  their  village. 

Father  Marquette  and  his  companions  knelt  down  and  most 
earnestly  invoked  the  Blessed  Virgin  Immaculate,  plac'ng 
themselves  and  the  success  of  their  enterprise  under  her  pro- 
tection. This  they  did  every  day  during  their  journey.  They 
then  encouraged  one  another,  and  embarked  in  their  frail 
birch  canoes  on  the  Meskonsing  (Wisconsin),  June  the  10th. 
Thirty  leagues  down  the  river  they  found  indications  of  rich 
iron-ore. 

On  the  17th  of  June,  1673,  their  canoes  glided  into  the  Mis- 
sissippi, at  about  42^  30'  of  latitude.  Father  Marquette's 
heart  felt  an  indescribable  joy.  What  he  had  longed  and 
prayed  for,  during  so  many  years,  he  now  saw  fulfilled.  He 
beheld  the  "Great  River"  of  which  he  had  heard  so  many 
strange  tales.  Floating  down  the  river,  they  found  at  42*^ 
the  country  level,  and  saw  numerous  deer,  elks,  wild  geese, 
swans,  monstrous  fish,  one  of  which  struck  his  little  birch 
canoe  so  rudely  that  he  thought  he»had  run  against  a  snag. 
At  41^  26'  he  found  turkeys  and  buff'aloes  ;  of  the  latter  he 
once  saw  a  herd  of  four  hundred.  To  guard  against  being 
surprised  by  hostile  Indians,  they  used  only  to  make  a  small 
fire  towards  night,  to  prepare  their  scanty  meal,  and  then  they 
slept  in  their  canoes,  which  they  anchored  out  in  the  river, 
far  enough  away  from  the  shore. 

They  had  traveled  over  one  hundred  leagues  on  the  Wis- 
consin and  Mississippi  without  seeing  a  single  human  being. 
Finally  on  the  25th  of  June,  they  discovered  foot-prints  on  the 
beach,  a  beaten  path  leading  into  a  beautiful  prairie  country. 
They  stopped,  examining  the  path,  and  concluded  that  it  led 
to  some  Indian  village.  Father  Marquette  and  Jollyet  fol- 
lowed the  path,  leaving  their  companions  at  the  river  side, 
cautioning  them  to  be  on  their  guard.  No  doubt  their  hearts 
throbbed  more  violently,  not  knowing  what  reception  awaited 
them  at  the  hands  of  a  savage  and  unknown  tribe.  Silently 
they  walked  on  for  about  two  leagues  when  they  de«cried  a 


.msa 


120 

village*  on  the  banks  of  a  river  and  two  others  half  a  league 
farther  away.  They  then  recommended  themselves  most  fer- 
vently to  God,  imploring  His  divine  help.  Thej'  approached 
so  near  the  village  without  being  observed,  that  they  could 
hear  the  Indians  talking.  They  then  stopped  and  hallooed 
as  loud  as  they  could,  to  make  their  presence  known.  At  this 
cry  the  Indians  ran  out  of  their  cabins.  They  probably 
recognized  them  at  once  as  Frenchmen,  especially  as  they 
noticed  Father  Marquette's  c  isock,  and  accordingly  knew 
him  to  be  a  Black-gown. 

The  Indians  deputed  four  old  men  to  go  and  speak  to  the 
pale-faced  strangers.  Two  of  them  carried  pipes  ornamented 
with  'feathers.  Walking  very  slowly  they  now  and  then 
raised  their  pipes  toward  the  sun,  as  if  offering  it  to  that 
luminary  to  smoke,  but  said  not  a  word.  When  near,  they 
stood  still  and  regarded  the  two  strange  visitors  from  head  to 
foot.  Father  Marquette  gceing  by  these  ceremonies,  that  the 
Indians  regarded  them  with  favor,  and  noticing  moreover 
that  they  had  several  articles  of  European  manufacture,  he 
judged  they  were  on  friendly  terms  with  the  French.  He 
therefore  broke  silence,  asking  them  who  they  were.  They 
said  they  were  Illinois,  and,  offering  them  as  a  mark  of  friend- 
ship the  calumet,  or  pipe  of  peace,  they  invited  them  to  their 
village. 

At  the  door  of  the  cabin  which  they  were  to  enter,  stood  an 
old  man,  his  hands  open  and  stretched  out  towards  the  sun, 
as  if  to  ward  off  his  rays,  which,  nevertheless,  passed  between 
his  extended  fingers  and  lit  up  his  face.  When  the  Father 
and  his  companion  approached,  the  old  man  addressed  them 
as  follows  :  *'  How  beautiful,  0  Freachman,  is  the  suii,  when 
thou  comect  to  visit  us !  All  our  village  awaits  thee,  and 
thou  shalt  enter  all  our  cabins  in  peace."  He  then  led  them 
into  his  cabin,  where  a  great  crowd,  as  Father  Marquette 
graphically  describes  it,  devoured  them  with  their  eyes.  They 
observed  profound  silence;  however,  occpsionally  these  words 
were  heard,  spoken  in  a  lovy  voice :  "  How  good  it  is,  broth 
ers,  that  you  visit  us."  They  then  offered  their  visitors  the 
pipe  of  peace  to  smoko  which  Father  Marquette  and  his  col- 


1  This  village,  called  by  Marquette  Pewarea  (Peoria),  was  situated  at  the 
mcath  of  Des  Moines  River,  Iowa;  further  up  the  river  were  the  Moingweaa 
or  Moingonan,  after  whom  the  river  was  named. 


121 


in, 


ler 
len 


jm 


ley 

:ds 

th 

the 

jol- 


jthe 
reaa 


league  accepted,  after  which  all  the  headmen  smoked  in  honor 
of  their  guests. 

Soon  an  invitation  came  from  the  head  chief  of  the  tribe  to 
visit  his  viUage,  as  he  desired  to  hold  a  council  with  them. 
On  their  way  thither,  the  two  were  accompanied  by  the  whole 
village.  The  people  who  had  never  seen  a  Frenchman  before, 
could  not  satisfy  themselves  looking  at  the  strangers.  Some 
would  sit  down  on  the  grass  along  the  path,  where  they  were 
to  pass  by,  others  would  run  ahead  and  then  turn  back  to 
meet  them,  thus  to  get  a  good  look  at  them.  But  all  this  was 
done  noiselessly  a,nd  in  a  ii:.">st  respectful  manner. 

When  they  arrived  at  the  \:llage  of  the  great  chief,  they 
saw  him  standing  in  front  of  his  cabin  in  the  midst  of  two  old 
men,  with  their  calumet  turned  towards  the  sun.  He  bad© 
them  welcome  in  a  neat  little  speech  and  ofifered  them  his 
pipe  to  smoke. 

Seeing  them  all  assembled  and  silent,  Father  Marquette  spoke 
to  them  by  four  presents,  which  he  gave  them.  By  the  first 
he  told  them  that  he  and  his  party  were  traveling  in  peace  to 
visit  iihe  nations  that  lived  along  the  great  river  as  far  as  the 
sea.  By  the  second  present,  he  told  them  that  God  who 
had  created  them  had  compassion  on  them,  since  after  so  long 
a  time  in  which  they  had  been  ignorant  of  Him,  He  willed  to 
make  himsell  known  to  all  these  people  ;  that  he  was  sent,  on 
the  part  of  God  for  this  verv  purpose,  and  that  it  was  for  them 
to  recognizii  and  obey  Him.  By  the  third  present  hie  said 
that  the  great  chief  of  the  French  informed  them  it  was  he 
that  made  peace  everywhere,  having  subdued  the  Iroquois. 
Finally,  by  the  fourth,  he  lequested  them  to  give  him  all  the 
information  they  could  about  the  sea  and  the  nations  whom 
they  would  have  to  pass  to  get  there. 

When  Father  Marquette  had  concluded  his  discourse,  the 
chief  arose  and,  layin.^  his  hand  on  the  head  of  a  little  slave 
whom  he  meant  to  give  them  as  a  present,  he  spoke  as  fol- 
lows ; 

"I  thank  thee,  Black-gown  and  thee.  Frenchman,  —  ad- 
dressing M.  Jollyet, — for  having  taken  so  much  trouble  to 
come  and  visit  us.  Never  was  the  earth  so  beautiful,  nor  the 
sun  so  bright  as  today;  never  was  our  river  so  calm  nor  so 
free  from  rocks,  which  your  canoea  have  removed  in  passing 
by  ;  never  had  our  tobacco  so  good  a  flavor,  nor  did  our  corn 
appear  so  flourishing  as  we  now  see  it.     Behold,  here  is  my 


122 

son,  whom  I  give  to  thee,  that  thou  mayest  know  my  heart. 
I  implore  thee  to  have  pity  on  me  and  all  my  people.  Thou 
knowest  the  great  Spirit  who  made  us  all ;  thou  speakest  to 
him  and  hearest  His  word.  Ask  Him  to  grant  pcie  life  and 
health,  and  do  thou  come  and  live  with  us  to  make  us  know 
Him." 

The  chief  then  placed  the  little  slave  near  them.  As  a 
second  present  he  gave  them  the  mysterious  calumet,  which 
they  prize  more  highly  than  a  slave.  Ey  this  present  he 
showed  his  great  respect  for  the  French  governor.  By  tiie 
third  present,  he  begged  of  them  on  the  part  of  all  his  people, 
not  to  go  any  further,  on  account  of  the  great  danger  to 
which  they  would  expose  themselves.  The  Father  replied 
that  he  feared  not  death,  and  esteemed  no  happiness  greater 
than  that  of  sacrificing  his  life  for  the  glory  of  Him  who  made 
all  things.    This  was  a  thing  beyond  their  comprehension. 

The  council  was  followed  by  a  great  banquet,  consisting  of 
four  dishes,  which  had  to  be  taken  Indian-fashion.  The  first 
dish  was  a  large  wooden  plate  of  sagamity,  that  is,  corn-meal 
boiled  in  water  and  seasoned  with  fat.  The  master  of  cere- 
monies put  a  spoonful  of  it  three  or  four  times  into  the 
Father's  mouth,  as  one  would  feed  a  little  child  ;  he  did  the 
same  to  Jolly  et.  The  second  dish  was  a  plate  offish ;  the  master 
of  ceremonies  took  some  choice  pieces,  removing  the  bones, 
blew  upon  them  to  cool  them,  and  then  put  some  into  their 
mouths.  The  third  dish  consisted  of  a  large  dog,  which  had 
been  hastily  killed  and  prepared  for  the  occasion,  but,  learn- 
ing that  their  guests  did  not  relish  dog  meat,  it  was  removed. 
The  fourth  was  buffalo  meat,  of  which  he  put  the  fattest 
pieces  into  their  mouths. 

The  banquet  over,  they  had  to  visit  the  whole  village, 
which  consisted  of  three  hundred  •  lodges.  An  orator  con- 
tinually harangued  the  multitude,  to  look  at  them  well,  but 
not  to  molest  them.  Everywhere  they  received  presents  of 
belts  and  other  articles  made  of  bear  and  buffalo-skins,  dyed 
red,  yellow  and  gray.  At  night  they  slept  in  the  cabin  of 
the  chief,  when  morning  returned  they  took  leave  of  these 
kind-hearted  people,  tefling  them  they  would  return  in  four 
months,  and  the  Father  promising  to  come  and  live  with 
them  the  next  year.  On  their  way  to  their  canoes  they  were 
accompanied  by  some  six  hundred  persons,  who  manifested 


ge, 


123 

the  joy  which  the  visit  of  the  Father  had  given  them  in  every 
way  possible. 

They  left  the  village  of  the  Illinois  at  three  o'clock  in  the 
%afternoon  of  the  26th  of  July.  Some  distance  above  the  Mis- 
souri they  beheld  two  horrid  looking  monsters  of  the  size  of 
a  calf,  painted  on  the  side  of  the  bluff  facing  the  river.  Their 
horns  and  head  resembled  that  of  a  roe-buck;  their  look  was 
terrifying;  eyes  red,  beard  like  that  of  a  tiger,  face  somewhat 
human-like.  Their  body  was  covered  with  scales,  and  their 
tail  so  long,  that  it  passed  around  their  body,  over  their  head, 
and  turning  back  between  their  legs  termininated  like  the 
tail  of  a  fish.  Grepn,  red  and  black  were  the  colors  used. 
They  were  painted  so  well  that  the  Father  thought  the  work 
could  not  have  been  executed  by  Indians. 

Whilst  they  were  conversing  on  those  horrible-looking 
monsters,  their  canoes  gently  floating  down  the  river  with  the 
current,  they  heard  the  noise  of  a  rapid  stream  emptying  into 
the  Mississippi.  This  was  the  Pekitanoui,*  a  large  river  com- 
ing Irom  the  northwest.  "I  never  saw  anything  more  fright- 
ful,'' says  he  in  his  journal,  "a  confused  mass  of  whole  trees, 
branches,  floating  islets,  etc.,  issued  forth  from  the  mouth  of 
the  river  with  such  impetuosity  that  it  was  impossible  to 
cross  over  without  great  danger." 

Having  traveled  about  twenty  leagues  due  south  and  a 
little  less  to  the  southeast,  they  came  to  the  river  called  Oua- 
boukigou,^  the  mouth  of  which  was  at  about  36  degrees  of 
latitude.  Before  arriving  there  they  had  to  pass  a  place  much 
dreaded  by  the  Indians,  because  they  think  there  is  a  mani- 
tou,  that  is,  a  demon,  who  devours  such  as  attempt  to  pass 
by  there.  This  terrible  manitou  was  a  bay  with  rocks  some 
twenty  feet  high,  into  which  the  whole  current  of  the  river 
precipitated  itself  through  a  narrow  channel,  causing  a  fear^ 
ful  roaring  and  splashing,  which  struck  terror  into  the  heart 
of  the  untutored  child  of  nature.  This  was  the  manitou 
spoken  of  by  the  Menominees,  when  they  tried  to  dissuade 
the  Father  fro-^  undertaking  his  voyage  of  discovery.    He 


1  Pekitanoui,  the  Missouri.  Father  Marquette  had  now  reached  the 
junotioa  of  the  Missouri  and  the  Mississippi. 

?  Ouaboukigrou,  pronounced  Wah-boo-ke-goo,  "The  Ohio,  or  beautiful 
nver,  as  that  Iroquois  name  siornifles.  The  name  given  by  Marquette  became 
finally  Ouabache  (pronounced  Wah-bash),  in  our  spelling  Wabash,  and  is  now 
applied  to  the  last  tributary  of  the  Ohio."  (Shea's  Discovery  and  Bxplor.  of 
the  Miss.,  p.  41.; 


LIJ'Mim  KPWI 


saasmmmm 


124 

passed  these  dangerous  rapids  safely  and  arrived  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Ouaboukigou,  a  river  coming  from  the  east,  where  the 
Chaouanons,*  a  very  populous  tribe,  dwelt.  In  one  locality 
there  were  twenty  three  villages  of  that  tribe,  and  in  another 
fifteen.  They  were  peaceable  and  inoffensive  ;  hence  the  Iro- 
quois used  sometimes  to  go  even  as  far  as  their  country  to 
secure  prisoners,  whom  they  would  cruelly  burn  at  the  slake. 
A  little  above  this  river  they  found  indi<5ations  of  rich  iron- 
ore.  They  began  to  suffer  very  much  from  mosquitoes  and 
the  heat,  which  obliged  them  to  construct  a  kind  of  tent  on 
their  canoes  to  protect  themselves  from  this  double  plague. 

As  they  were  r-'^ntly  floating  down  the  river  in  their  canoes,, 
they  suddenly  b^xield  r^ome  Indians  armed  with  guns.  The 
Father  held  up  the  calumet  he  had  received  at  the  villag  3  of 
the  Illinois,  whilst  his  companions  prepared  to  defend  them- 
selves. He  spoke  to  the  Indians  in  Huron,  but  they  did  not 
answer.  Their  silence  was  interpreted  at  first  as  a  declaration 
of  war.  It  seemed,  however,  these  India's  were  as  much 
frightened  as  their  French  visitors.  Finally  the  latter  were 
given  to  understand  that  they  should  land  and  eat  with  the 
Indians.  They  did  so  and  were  regaled  with  buffalo  meat, 
bear  oil,  and  white  plums  of  an  excellent  flavor.  The  Indians 
had  guns,  axes,  hoes,  knives,  beads,  and  glass  bottles,  in 
which  they  carried  their  gun-powder.  They  told  Marquette 
they  obtained  those  articles  from  Europeans^  living  eastwtird 
from  there  ;  that  those  people  had  rosaries  and  images  and 
played  musical  instruments;  and  some  of  them  were  dressed 
like  him.  Father  Marquette  instructed  them  somewhat  and 
gave  them  some  medals. 

This  information  aroused  the  party  to  fresh  exertions  and 
made  them  ply  their  oars  with  renewed  vigor.  Both  sides  of 
the  river  were  lined  with  cottonwood  and  elm  trees  of  won- 
derful height  and  thickness.  They  could  hear  the  bellowing 
of  herds  of  buffalo;  hence  they  concluded  that  the  country  a 
little  back  from  the  river  was  prairie-land. 

At  about  33  degrees  of  latitude  they  saw  a  village  near  the 
river,  called  Mitchigamea.  Perceiving  the  strangers  the 
Indians  quickly  prepared  to  fight.  They  were  armed  with 
bows  and  arrows,  tomahawks  and  war-clubs.    They  jumped 


Pronounced  Shah-wah-nons,  i.  e.  Shawnecs.  "Southerners." 
These  Europeans  were  probably  Spaniards  residing'  in  Florida. 


125 


rthe 
the 
with 
aped 


Into  their  large  wooden  canoes;  some  of  them  occupied  the 
river  below,  whilst  others  hastened  to  station  themselves 
above  the  party,  so  as  to  cut  ofif  their  retreat.  Those  on  the 
land  ran  back  and  forward,  shouting  and  animating  one 
another  to  fight.  Some  young  men  even  jumped  into  the 
river  to  seize  Father  Marquette's  canoe,  but  the  current  being 
.too  strong  they  had  to  swim  back  to  the  shore.  One  of  them 
threw  his  war-club  at  the  party,  without  however  hitting 
anyone.  In  this  great  danger  the  Father  most  fervently  in- 
voked the  Blessed  Virgin  Immaculate,  while  continually 
showing  the  calumet.  At  length  it  was  seen  by  some  of  the 
old  men,  who  then  restrained  the  young.  Two  of  the  head 
men  got  into  his  canoe,  throwing  down  their  bows  at  his  feet 
to  give  him  to  understand  that  no  harm  would  be  done  to 
him  and  his  party.  They  all  disembarked,  not,  however, 
without  some  feeling  of  fear  on  the  part  of  the  Father.  He 
«poke  to  them  by  signs,  as  they  did  not  understand  any  one 
of  the  six  languages  he  knew.  Finally  an  old  man  was 
found  who  could  speak  a  little  Illinois.  The  Father  then 
told  them,  by  the  presents  he  made,  that  he  was  on  his  way 
to  the  saa,  and  he  gave  them  some  instruction  on  God  and 
the  affairs  of  their  salvation.  All  the  answer  he  received  was 
that  eight  or  ten  leagues  further  down  the  river  he  would 
:find  a  large  village  called  Akamsea,*  where  he  would  get  all 
the  information  he  desired.  The  Indians  offered  them  some 
sagamit^  and  fish,  and  the  party  stayed  at  the  village  over 
night  with  considerable  uneasiness  of  mind. 

Early  next  morning  they  embarked,  accompanied  by  an 
interpreter  and  ten  Indians  in  a  canoe,  who  rowed  a  little 
ahead.  Having  arrived  within  half  a  league  of  Akamsea, 
they  saw  two  canoes  comi^ig  to  meet  them  The  headman 
«tood  up  in  his  canoe  and  showed  them  the  calumet.  He 
then  sang  an  agreeable  song,  offered  them  the  pipe  of  peace 
to  smoke,  and  then  served  them  with  sagamity  and  corn- 
bread,  whereof  they  partook  a  little.  The  people  in  the 
village  in  the  meanwhile  had  prepared  a  suitable  place  undeor 
the  scaffold  of  the  chief  warrior.  They  spread  out  fine  mats 
made  of  rushes,  on  which  the  Father  and  his  companions 
were  invited  to  sit.    Around  them  sat  the  chiefs  of  the  tribe, 


1    Akamsea  or  Akansea  was  located  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas 
Xllver,  named  after  them,  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Mississippi. 


t 


126 

further  back  the  warriors,  and  behind  them  the  rest  of  th©- 
people.  Luckily  he  found  there  a  young  man,  who  could 
speak  Illinois  better  than  the  interpreter  whom  they  had 
brought  along  from  Mitchigamea.  Him  the  Father  employed 
as  his  interpreter,  and  he  spoke  to  the  Akamseas  Dy  the 
presents  which  are  generally  made  on  such  occasions.  They 
wondered  at  what  he  told  them  about  God  and  the  mysteries 
of  faith,  and  manifested  a  great  desire  to  keep  him  withs 
them  in  order  to  be  instructed. 

The  Indians  told  him  that  they  were  ten  days'  journey 
from  the  sea,  but  the  Father  thought  they  could  have  made 
it  in  five.  They  said  they  were  not  acquainted  with  the 
tribes  that  dwelt  there,  because  their  enemies  hindered  them 
from  having  any  intercourse  with  the  Europeans  there  :  that 
the  axes,  knives  and  beads  they  saw  had  been  sold  to  them 
by  tribes  living  towards  the  east  and  partly  by  a  village  of 
the  Illinois,  four  days' journey  from  there  towards  the  west;, 
that  the  Indians  whom  they  had  seen  with  guns  were  their 
enemies,  who  cut  them  off  from  all  intercourse  and  trade 
with  the  Europeans  ;  finally,  that  it  would  be  dangerous  ta 
go  any  further,  because  their  enemies  continually  sent  out 
war-parties  on  the  river,  whom  they  could  not  encounter, 
armed  with  guns  as  they  were  and  accustomed  to  war,  with- 
out exposing  themselves  to  great  danger. 

These  Indians  were  very  poor,  having  only  corn  and  water- 
melons, with  but  little  flesh,  as  they  dared  not  hunt  the 
buffalo  on  account  ot  their  more  powerful  enemies;  still  they 
treated  their  guests  as  well  as  their  poverty  permitted.  The 
chief  diet  of  the  people  consisted  of  corn,  which  grows  here 
at  almost  all  seasons  of  the  year.  They  had  large  earthen 
pots  very  well  made,  also  plates  of  baked  earth,  which  they 
used  for  a  great  many  purposes.  The  men  wore  small 
strings  of  beads  hanging  from  their  nose  and  ears.  The 
women  dressed  in  poor,  shabby  looking  skins,  braided  their 
hair  in  two  tresses  back  of  their  ears,  and  had  no  finery  of 
any  kind  to  ornament  themselves  with.  The  Father  found 
their  language  extremely  hard  to  learn,  some  words  being 
simply  unpronounceable.  Their  cabins  were  constructed  of 
bark  and  were  quite  large.  They  slept  some  two  feet  above 
ground  on  a  rude  kind  of  bedstead  or  scaffold  constructed  at> 
both  ends  of  the  lodge.  ::' 


'he 

eir 

of 

nd 

'ol 


127 

In  the  evening  some  of  the  head  men  held  a  secret  council, 
designing  to  kill  Marquette  and  his  party,  in  order  to  pillage 
their  goods.  The  chief,  however,  stopped  the  proceedings, 
sent  for  his  French  guests  and  danced  the  calumet  dance  in 
their  presence,  as  a  mark  of  their  safety  under  his  protec- 
tion. To  remove  all  fear,  he  made  a  present  of  the  pipe  to 
the  Father. 

Father  Marquette  and  Jollyet  deliberated  amongst  them- 
selves whether  they  had  better  push  on  further  or  return 
home.  Finding  themselves  in  33  degrees  and  40  minutes  of 
latitude,  they  felt  confident  that  they  were  not  far  from  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  about  two  or  tliree  days'  journey.  More- 
over, they  were  convinced  that  the  Mississippi  empties  into 
said  gulf  and  not  towards  Virginia  nor  California,  whose 
latitude  they  had  already  passed.  On  the  other  hand,  by 
pushing  on  further  they  might  meet  with  hostile  Indians  or 
fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Spaniards,  who,  no  doubt,  would 
hold  them  captives,  as  intruders  into  a  territory  discovered 
and  claimed  by  them,  in  which  case  they  would  lose  the 
fruit  of  all  their  labore.  They  hpd  explored  the  great  river 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Wisconsin  to  that  of  the  Arkansas  ; 
they  had  learned  all  they  wished  to  know  as  to  the  people 
that  lived  along  its  banks,  and  had  entered  into  friendly 
alliance  with  them  all  in  the  name  of  the  governor  of  Can- 
ada ;  the  main  object  of  the  voyage  having  been  realized, 
they  determined  to  turn  back  and  report  to  their  respective 
superiors  the  result  of  their  labors. 

Having  rested  a  day  at  the  village  of  the  Akamsea,  they 
left  there  on  the  17th  of  July,  having  "pent  an  entire  month 
exploring  the  Mississippi,  the  Father  preaching  the  Gospel, 
as  much  as  circumstances  permitted,  to  the  various  tribes 
they  met  with.  They  revisited  the  fiiendly  Illinois  at  their 
village  of  Peourea,^  where  they  had  been  so  kindly  received 
on  their  down-river  trip.  Father  Marquette  stopped  with 
them  three  days,  preaching  to  them  and  instructing  them. 
He  baptized  a  dying  child  which  they  brought  to  him  just 
as  he  was  about  to  embark.    The  saving  of  this  innocent 


1  Father  Marquette  remarks  that  on  his  return  trip  he  entered  a  beau- 
tiful river  rising  near  the  Lake  of  the  Illinois,  the  Illinois.  He  had,  however, 
promised  to  visit  the  Illinois  of  Pewarea,  or  Peourea,  In  four  moons,  and  it  is 
very  probable  that  he  did  so,  in  order  to  instruct  those  good  people  who  had 
received  him  so  kindly.  It  may  be,  however,  that  he  met  a  band  of  said 
Indians  somewhere  on  the  Illinois. 


128 

soul  recompensed  him,  as  he  says,  abundantly  for  all  the 
hardships  of  his  journey. 

At  38  degrees  they  entered  the  Illinois  River,  to  return 
home  by  a  shorter  route.  The  Father  speaks  most  highly  of 
the  beautiful  country  through  which  this  river  runs.  He 
saw  there  wild  cattle,  deer,  lynxes,  geese,  ducks,  parrots  and 
Leaver.  He  found  on  the  river  a  village  of  the  Illinois, 
called  Kaskaskia,^  containing  some  seventy-four  lodges, 
where  he  was  very  well  received.  He  promised  to  return 
and  instruct  them,  which  he  did  in  1676.  One  of  the  chiefs 
with  some  young  men  accompanied  the  Father,  assisting 
them  in  making  the  portage  between  the  head-waters  of  the 
Illinois  River  and  Lake  Michigan.  Coasting  along  the  east- 
ern shore  of  said  lake,  they  arrived  safely  at  the  Mission  of 
St.  Francis  Xavier,  at  the  head  of  Green  Bay,  towards  the 
end  of  September,  havingr  left  there  towards  the  beginning 
of  June. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


Last  Voyage  of  Father  Marquette. — He  founds  the 
Mission  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  among  the 
Illinois  and  Dies  on  his  way  back  to  Mackinaw. 

After  his  return  from  his  trip  down  the  Mississippi, 
Father  Marquette  staid  at  the  Mission  of  St.  Francis  Xavier, 
at  the  head  of  Green  Bay,  from  September,  1673,  till  Octo- 
ber, 1674.  The  hardships  endured  on  his  voyage  had  given 
him  the  dysentery.  However,  in  September,  1674,  he  felt 
better.  He  sent  the  journal  of  his  trip  down  the  Mississippi 
to  his  Superior,  awaiting  his  orders  as  to  where  he  was  to 
winter.  The  order  came,  thou(;h  at  a  rather  late  season  of 
the  year,  to  go  to  Illinois  and  establish  the  Mission  of  the 
Immaculate  Conception.  This  was  joyful  news  to  him,  as 
it  enabled  him  to  fulfill  the  promise  he  had  made  to  those 
good  Indians  to  come  and  instruct  them. 

1  "It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  Marquette's  Peoria  and  his  and  Allouez' 
town  of  Kaskaskla  are  quite  different  from  the  present  places  of  the  name 
In  situation."  Marquette's  Kaskaskla  was  on  the  Illinois  and  Peoria  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Mississippi.    ("  Bisoovery,"  p.  61.) 


[E 


the 


129 

He  left  St.  Francis  Xavier  on  the  25th  of  October,  1674, 
with  two  Frenchmen,  Pierre  Porteret  and  Jacques.  At 
the  mouth  of  the  Fox  River  he  learned  that  five  canoes  of 
the  Pottawatamis  and  four  of  the  Illinois  had  already  started 
for  Kaskaskia.  On  the  27th  they  overtook  the  Indians  at 
Sturgeon  Bay,  where  there  was  a  portage  of  about  three 
miles  to  Lake  Michigan.  Owing  to  the  inclement  weather 
and  bad  roads,  it  took  three  days  before  the  whole  party. 
Whites  and  Indians,  had  transported  their  canoes  and  bag- 
gage across  the  portage  to  the  lake.  October  Slst  they  com- 
menced their  journey  southward  along  the  western  shore  of 
Lake  Michigan.  The  Father  most  of  the  time  walked  along 
the  beacn,  ev^ept  where  a  river  had  to  be  crossed.  Novem- 
ber 1st,  All  Saints'  Day,  he  said  Mass  at  tlie  mouth  of  a 
small  river,  probably  where  Kewaunee  now  stands.  On  All 
Soul's  Day  he  said  Mass  at  the  mouth  of  another  river, 
probably  Two  Rivers. 

Their  progress  was  very  slow  on  account  of  the  rough 
weather  on  the  lake.  At  one  time  they  had  to  camp  five 
days,  and  soon  after  again  three  days,  ft  took  them  over  a 
month  to  go  from  the  portage  of  Sturgeon  Bay  to  Chicago 
River.  On  the  23d  of  November  he  had  an  attack  of  di- 
arrhea, which  finally  turned  into  dysentery.  On  the  4th  of 
December  they  reached  Chicago  River,  from  which  there  is 
a  short  portage  to  the  Illinois,  on  whi  jh  Kaskaskia  was  situ- 
ated. He  wintered  at  the  portage  some  six  miles  down  the 
river,  being  too  weak,  on  account  of  his  illness,  to  go  any 
farther.  On  the  16th  of  December  the  Illinois*  left  him  to 
proceed  to  their  village.  He  was  thus  left  alone  with  his 
two  faithful  companions.  He  gent  word  to  the  Illinois  that 
he  would  let  them  Know  next  spring  when  he  would  be  at 
theii.  village.  On  the  14th  of  Deceniber  his  old  malady,  the 
dysentery,  came  on.  Two  Frenchmen  who  were  trading 
with  the  Illinois,  hearing  of  the  Father's  sickness,  did  all 
they  could  to  relieve  him,  sending  him  a  bag  of  com  and 
other  refreshments. 

On  the  26th  of  January,  1675,  three  Illinois  brought  him 
presents  from  the  chiefs  of  the  tribe,  namely,  two  sacks  of 
corn,    some    dried  meat,    pumpkins   and   twelve    beavers. 

1    The  "Relations"    always  spell  the    word    "irnois"    with  one  "1," 
though  now  It  is  always  spelled  with  double  "11." 


m 


'» 


v^ 


130 

They  asked  him  for  gun-powder  and  merchandise.  This- 
shows  how  little  they  understood  the  real  object  of  his  visit. 
He  sent  word  to  the  Illinois  that  he  had  come  to  instruct 
them,  not  to  trade  with  them  ;  that  he  would  not  give  them 
powder,  as  he  and  his  countrymen  came  to  establish  peace 
everywhere,  and  that  he  did  not  wish  to  see  them  begin  war 
with  the  Miamis  ;  moreover  that  he  did  not  apprehend  any 
danger  of  famine,  and,  finally,  that  he  would  encourage  the 
French  to  trade  with  them,  but  they  should  compensate  the 
latter  for  the  beads  they  had  taken  from  them,  wiiilst  one  of 
them,  called  the  Surgeon,  had  come  to  see  him.  Consider- 
ing, however,  they  had  como  sixty  miles  to  see  him,  he  gave 
them  as  presents  an  ax,  two  knives,  three  jack-knives,  tea 
strings  of  beads  and  two  double  mirrors. 

Some  time  after  Christmas  he  and  his  two  faithful  com- 
panions made  a  novena  in  honor  of  the  Blessed  Virgin 
Immaculate  to  obtain,  through  her  intercession,  the  grace 
not  to  die  without  having  taken  possession  of  his  beloved 
Mission.  Their  prayers  were  not  in  vain  ;  he  recovered 
sufficiently  to  enable  him  to  go  to  the  Illinois  village. 
Speaking  of  that  long  dreary  winter  in  his  poor  bark  cabin,, 
he  says  :  "  The  Holy  Virgin  Immaculate  has  taken  such 
care  of  us  during  our  winter  here  that  we  have  had  no  want 
of  provisions,  having  yet  (March  30th)  a  large  bag  of  corn, 
some  meat  and  fat.  We  have  got  along  very  nicely,  my  ail- 
ment not  having  hindered  me  from  saying  Mass  every  day. 
We  have  only  been  able  to  keep  the  Fridays  and  Saturdays 
of  Lent."  He  had  all  along  a  presentiment  of  his  death,  for 
he  told  his  companions  plainly  that  he  would  die  of  his 
ailment,  and  on  that  very  journey.  He  made  the  spiritual 
retreat  of  St.  Ignatius  with  great  devotion  and  consolation, 
said  Mass  every  day,  confessed  and  communicated  his  two 
companions  twice  a  week,  and  spent  the  most  of  the  time 
in  prayer. 

On  the  29th  of  March  he  set  out  and  traveled  on  the  Illi- 
nois for  eleven  days,  amidst  great  sufifering.  Finally,  on 
the  8th  of  April,  he  reached  Kaskaskia,  where  he  was  re- 
ceived as  an  angef  from  Heaven.  He  went  from  cabin  to 
cabin,  instructing  the  Indians  in  our  holy  faith.  Several 
times,  also,  he  assembled  the  chiefs  and  head-men,  explain- 
ing to  them  the  truth  of  religion.  At  length,  on  Holy 
Thursday,  he  convened  a  general  assembly  of  all  the  people 


(( 


181 


e- 


in  an  open  prairie  near  the  village.  Mats  and  bear-Bkine* 
were  B{)read  on  the  ground  for  the  people  to  sit  on.  The 
Father  attached  four  large  pictures  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  to 
a  pole,  so  as  to  be  seen  by  all  the  neople.  The  auditory 
consisted  of  five  hundred  chiefs  and  head-men,  seated  in  ft 
circle  around  the  Father,  Fifteen  hundred  young  men  stood 
outside  this  circle,  besides  a  very  great  number  of  women 
and  children. 

He  spoke  ten  words  to  them  bv  ten  prv.'L  r  tp  that  he  made 
them.  He  discoursed  on  the  pnncipal  truths  of  religion  and 
dwelt  especially  on  the  death  of  Jesus  Christ  on  the  cross,  for 
man's  redemption.  After  the  sermon  he  offered  up  the  Holy 
Sacrifice.  On  Kaster  Sunday  another  great  meeting  of  the 
Indians  took  place,  at  which  he  said  mass  again  and  preached 
to  his  Indian  hearers  with  the  fiery  zeal  of  an  apostle.  The 
good  people  listened  to  the  Father  with  great  joy  and  appro- 
bation. He  told  them  he  was  obliged  to  leave,  on  account 
of  his  ailment,  and  how  happy  he  felt  at  their  receiving  so 
well  the  instructions  he  gave  them.  They  begged  of  him  to 
return  as  soon  as  possible.  He  promised  to  do  so,  or  if  he 
should  not  be  able  to  come  himself,  then  some  other  Father 
would  take  his  place  and  instruct  them.  They  escorted  him 
more  than  thirty  leagues  of  the  way,  contending  with  one 
another  for  the  honor  of  carrying  his  little  baggage. 

We  shall  give  the  particulars  of  Father  Marquette's  death 
in  the  words  of  the  "  Relations." 

"  After  the  Illinois  had  taken  leave  of  the  Father,  he  con- 
tinued his  voyage  and  soon  after  reached  the  Illinois  Lake 
(Lake  Michigan),  on  which  he  had  nearly  a  hundred  leagues 
to  make  by  an  unknown  route,  because  he  was  obliged  to  take 
the  eastern  side  of  the  lake,  having  gone  thither  by  the  western. 
His  strength,  however,  failed  so  much,  that  his  men  des- 
paired of  being  able  to  bring  him  alive  to  their  journey's  end; 
lor,  in  fact,  he  became  so  weak  and  exhausted  that  he  could 
no  longer  help  himself,  nor  even  stir,  and  had  to  be  handled 
and  carried  like  a  child. 

"  He,  nevertheless,  maintained  in  this  state  an  admirable 
equanimity,  joy  and  gentleness,  consoling  his  beloved  com- 

E anions  and  exhorting  them  to  suffer  courageously  all  the 
ardshipb  of  the  way  assuring  them  moreover,  that  our  Lord 
would  not  forsake  them  when  he  would  be  gone.  During 
his  navigation  he  began  to  prepare  more  particularly  for 


■!(?■'( 


t 


V 


ia 


132 

■death,  passing  his  time  i  colloquies  with  our  Lord,  His  holy 
mother,  his  angel  guardian  and  all  Heaven.  He  was  often 
heard  pronouncing  these  words  :  "  I  believe  that  my  Re- 
deemer liveth,"  or  ''  Mary,  Mother  oj"  Grace,  Mother  of  God, 
remember  me."  Besides  a  spiritual  reading  made  for  him 
every  day,  he,  toward  the  close,  asked  them  to  read  him  his 
meditation  on  the  preparation  for  death,  which  he  carried 
about  him;  he  recited  his  breviary  every  day;  and,  although 
he  was  so  low  that  both  sight  and  strength  had  greatly  failed, 
he  did  not  omit  it  till  the  last  day  of  his  life,  when  his  com- 
panions induced  him  to  cease,  as  it  was  shortening  his 
days. 

"A  week  before  his  death  he  had  the  precaution  to  bless 
«ome  holy  water,  to  serve  him  during  the  rest  of  his  illness, 
in  his  agony,  and  at  his  burial,  and  he  instructed  his  com- 
panions how  to  use  it.  The  eve  of  his  death,  which  was  a 
Friday,  he  told  them,  all  radiant  with  joy,  that  it  would  take 
place  on  the  morrow.  During  the  whole  day  he  conversed 
with  them  about  the  manner  of  his  burial,  the  way  in  which 
he  should  be  laid  out,  the  place  to  be  selected  for  his  inter- 
ment ;  he  told  them  how  to  arrange  his  hands,  feet  and  face 
and  directed  them  to  raise  a  cross  over  his  grave.  He  even  went 
«o  far  as  to  enjoin  them,  only  three  hours  before  he  expired, 
to  take  his  chapel-bell  as  soon  as  he  would  be  dead,  and  ring 
it  while  they  carried  him  to  the  grave.  Of  all  this  he  spoke 
so  calmly  and  collectedly,  that  you  would  have  thought  he 
«poke  of  the  death  and  burial  of  another,  and  not  of  his  own. 

"  Thus  did  he  speak  with  them  as  they  sailed  along  the  lake, 
till,  perceiving  the  mouth  of  a  river,  with  an  eminence  on  the 
bank  which  he  thought  suited  to  his  burial,  he  told  them  it 
was  the  place  of  his  last  repose.  They  wished,  however,  to 
pass  on,  as  the  weather  permitted  it,  and  the  day  was  not 
far  advanced  ;  but  God  raised  a  contrary  wind,  which  obliged 
them  to  raturn  and  enter  the  river*  pointed  out  by  Father 
Marquette.  They  theii  carried  him  ashore,  kindled  a  little 
fire,  and  raised  a  wretched  bark  cabin  for  him,  where  they 
laid  him  as  little  uncomfortably  as  they  could  ;  but  they  were 


1  "A  marginal  note  says:  'This  river  now  bears  the  Father's  name.'  It 
was  indeed  long  called  Marquette  River,  but  from  recent  maps  the  name  seems 
to  have  been  forgotten.  Its  Indian  name  is  Notispesuago,  and  according  to 
others,  Auiniondlbeganlning.  It  is  a  very  small  stream,  not  more  than  fifteen 
paces  long,  beingtho  o  tletof  a  small  lake,  as  Charlevoix  assures  us."  (Shea's 
^•Discovery,  eto.^'  p.  68.) 


133 

so  overcome  by  sadness,  that,  as  they  afterwards  said,  they 
did  not  know  what  they  were  doing. 

"  The  father  being  thus  stretched  on  the  shore,  like  St- 
Francis  Xavier,  as  he  had  always  so  ardently  desired,  and 
left  alone  arnid  those  forests — for  his  companions  were 
engaged  in  unloading — he  had  leisure  to  repeat  a^'  the  acts 
in  which  he  had  employed  himself  during  the  preceding  days. 
When  his  dear  companions  afterwards  came  up,  quite  dejected,, 
he  consoled  them  and  gave  them  hopes  that  God  would  take 
care  of  them  after  his  Heath,  in  those  new  and  unknown  coun- 
tries. He  gave  them  his  last  instructions,  thanked  them  for 
all  the  charity  they  had  shown  him  during  the  voyage,  beg- 
ged luheir  pardon  for  the  trouble  he  had  given  them,  and 
directed  them  also  to  ask  pardon  in  his  name  of  all  our 
Fathers  and  Brothers  in  the  Ottawa  country,  and  then  dis- 
posed them  to  receive  the  sacrament  of  penance,  which  he 
administered  to  them  for  the  last  time.  He  also  gave  them  a 
paper  on  which  he  bad  written  all  his  faults  since  his  last  con- 
fession, to  be  given  to  his  superior  to  oblige  him  to  pray  more 
fervently  for  him.  In  fine  he  promised  not  to  forget  fchem  in 
Heaven,  arid  as  he  was  very  kind-hearted  and  knew  them  to 
be  worn  out  with  the  toil  of  tb3  preceding  days,  he  bade  them 
go  and  take  a  little  rest,  assuring  them  that  his  hour  was  not 
so  near,  but  that  he  would  wake  them  when  it  was  time,  as, 
in  fact,  he  did  two  or  three  hours  after,  calling  them  when 
about  to  enter  his  agony. 

When  they  came  near  he  embraced  them  for  the  last  time, 
whii3  they  melted  into  tears  at  his  feet.  He  then  asked  for 
the  holy  water  and  his  reliquary,  and  taking  off  his  crucifix, 
which  he  wore  around  his  neck,  he  placed  it  in  the  hands  of 
one,  asking  him  to  hold  it  constantly  opposite  him,  raised 
before  his  eyes.  Then,  feeling  that  he  had  but  little  time  to 
live,  he  made  a  last  effort,  clasped  his  hands,  and,  with  his 
eyes  fixed  sweetly  on  his  crucifix,  he  pronounced  aloud  his 
profession  of  faith,  and  thanked  the  Divine  Majesty  for  the 
immense  grace  He  did  him  in  allowing  him  to  die  in  the 
Society  of  Jesus ;  to  die  in  it  as  a  missionary  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and,  above  all,  to  die  in  it^  as  he  had  always  asked,  in  a 
wretched  cabin,  amid  the  forests,  destitute  of  all  human  j:  id. 

"On  this,  he  became  silent,  conversing  inwardly  with  God; 
yet  from  time  to  time  words  escaped  him,  "Sustinuit  anima 
m<  a  in  verbo  ejus — my  soul  hath  relied  on  His  v/ord,"  or 


"^^■1 


134 

'^'Mater  die,  memento  msl — Mollier  of  God,  remember  me," 
"which  were  the  last  words  he  uttered  before  entering  on  his 
agony,  which  was  very  calm  and  gentle.  He  had  prayed  his 
companions  to  remind  him,  when  they  saw  him  about  to 
expire,  to  pronounce  frequently  the  names  of  Jesus  and 
Mary.  When  he  could  not  do  it  himself,  they  did  it  for 
him;  and  when  they  thought  him  about  to  die,  one  cried 
aloud:  Jesus,  Maria,  which  he  several  times  repeated  dis- 
tinctly, and  then,  as  if,  at  those  sacred  names,  something 
had  appeared  to  him,  he  suddenly  raised  his  eyes  above  his 
crucifix,  fixing  them  apparently  on  some  object  which  he 
seemed  to  regard  with  pleasure,  and  thus,  with  a  countenance 
all  radiant  with  smiles,  he  expired  without  a  struggle,  as 
gently  as  if  he  had  sunk  inlso  -   -"uiet  sleep  (May  18,  1675)." 

"His  two  poor  compan^  u  ,  uier  shedding  many  tears 
vover  his  body,  and,  having  laid  it  out  as  he  had  directed, 
carried  it  devoutly  to  the  grave,  ringing  the  bell  according  to 
his  injunction,  and  raised  a  large  cross  near  it,  to  serve  as  a 
mark  for  passers  by.  When  they  talked  of  embarking,  one 
of  them,  who  for  several  days  had  been  overwhelmed  with 
sadness,  and  so  racked  in  body  by  acute  pains  that  he  could 
neither  eat  nor  breathe  without  pain,  resolved,  whilst  his 
companion  was  preparing  all  for  embarkation,  to  go  to  the 
g^ave  of  his  good  Father,  and  pray  him  to  intercede  for  him 
with  the  glorious  Virgin,  as  he  had  promised,  not  doubting 
that  he  was  already  in  Heaven.  He,  accordingly,  knelt 
down,  said  a  short  prayer,  and  ha^  »  '  '•espectfully  taken 
some  earth  from  the  grave,  he  put  \.  his  breast,  where- 
upon the  pain  immediately  ceased;  hu  <r  .ness  was  changed 
into  joy,  which  continued  during  the  reoi  of  his  voyage. 

"  God  did  not  choose  to  suffer  so  precious  a  deposite  to 
remain  unhonored  and  forgotten  amid  the  woods.  The  Kis- 
kakon  Indians,  who  for  the  last  ten  years  publicly  professed 
Christianity,  in  which  they  were  arst  instructed  by  Father 
Marquette,  when  stationed  at  La  Pointe  du  Saint  Esprit  at 
the  extremity  of  Lake  Superior,  were  hunting  last  winter 
on  the  banks  of  Lake  Illinois.  As  they  were  returning  early 
in  spring,  they  resolved  to  pass  by  the  tomb  of  their  good 
Fatner,  whom  they  tenderly  loved,  and  God  even  gave  them 
the  thought  of  taking  his  remains  and  brir^ging  them  to  our 
church  at  the  Mission  of  St.  Ignatius,  at  Missilimakinac, 
where  they  reside. 


I 


135 

"They  according  repaired  to  the  spot  and  after  some 
•deliberation,  they  resolved  to  proceed  with  their  Father,  as 
they  usually  do  with  those  whom  they  respect.  They  opened 
the  grave,  divested  the  body,  and  though  the  flesh  and  intes- 
tines were  all  dried  up,  they  found  it  whole,  the  skin  being 
in  no  way  injured.  This  did  not  prevent  their  dissecting  it, 
according  to  custom.  They  washed  the  bones  and  aried 
them  in  the  sun.  Then  putting  them  neatly  in  a  box  of 
birch-l)ark,  they  set  out  to  bear  them  to  the  house  of  St. 
Ignatius." 

"  The  convoy  consisted  of  nearly  thirty  canoes  in  excellent 
order,  including  even  a  good  number  of  Iroquois,  who  had 
joined  our  Algonquins,  to  honor  the  ceremony.  As  they 
approached  our  house.  Father  Nouvel,  who  is  Superior,  went 
tj  meet  them  with  Father  Pierson,  accompanied  by  all  the 
French  and  Indians  of  the  place.  Having  caused  the  convoy 
to  stop,  they  made  the  ordinary  interrogations  to  verify  the 
fact  that  t^ae  body  which  they  bore  was  really  Father  Mar- 
quette's. Then,  before  landing,  he  intoned  the  "De  Profun- 
dis  "  in  sight  of  the  thirty  canoes  still  on  the  water,  and  of 
all  the  people  on  the  shores.  After  this,  the  body  was  carried 
to  the  church,  observing  all  that  the  ritual  prescribes  for 
euch  ceremonies.  It  remained  exposed  under  a  pall  stretched 
as  if  over  a  coffin  all  that  day,  which  was  Pentecost- Monday, 
the  8th  of  June  (1677).  The  next  day,  when  all  the  funeral 
honors  had  been  paid  it,  it  was  deposited  in  a  little  vault  in 
the  middle  of  the  church,  where  he  reposes  as  the  guardian- 
angel  of  our  Ottawa  Missions.  The  Indians  often  come  to 
j)ray  on  his  tomb." 


^ 


»• 


yijg|Yj^2jTTO_M__^ 


136 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 


Discovery  of  Father  Marquette's  Grave  at  Point  St, 
Ignace,  Mich.  Letter  of  Very  Rev.  Father  E. 
Jacker  to  the  writer,  giving  a  full  account  of  said 
dl&oovery  made  by  him. 

Eagle  Harbor,  Mich.,  May  4,  1886. 
Rep.  Father  Chryaostom  Verwyst,  0.  S.  F.,  Bayfield,  Wis. 

Rev.  Dear  Father:  You  wish  to  learn  something  reliable 
about  the  discovery  of  Father  Marquette's  grave,  nine  years 
ago,  and  about  the  little  share  I  had  in  the  matter.  Want  of 
time  compels  me  to  be  brief. 

Up  to  the  time  when  I  took  charge  of  the  Mackinac  and 
St.  Ignace  missions  (in  1873),  I  had  given  but  little  atten- 
tion to  the  question  concerning  the  locality  of  Father  Mar- 
quette's Mission  and  the  church  in  which  his  remains  were 
deposited  (June  8,  1677);  hence  I  had  no  preconceived 
opinion  in  the  matter.  It  was  rather  news  to  me  that  a  local 
Indian  and  French  tradition  pointed  to  the  head  of  Fast 
Moran  Bay  (south  of  which  the  present  church  and  most  of 
the  village  of  St.  Ignace  are  located)  as  the  site  of  the  old 
Jesuit  Chapel  and  the  grave  of  a  great  priest  (Kitchi  Meka- 
tewikwanaie).  This  tradition  certainly  existed  as  early  as 
1821;  for  about  that  time  an  Indian,  Joseph  Mipatago  (a  very 
honest  and  intelligent  man,  still  living)  met  Father  Richard 
(of  Detroit)  lost  in  the  woods  back  of  East  Moran  Bay, 
whither  he  had  gone  ''  in  search  of  any  traces  that  might 
exist  of  tne  church,  where  they  said  the  "  great  priest "  was 
buried."  Moreover,  within  the  memory  of  some  old  persons 
a  squaw  was  living  in  the  neighborhood  of  St.  Ignace  at  a 
very  advanced  age,  who  asserted  to  have  in  her  childhood 
(probably  about,  or  even  before,  the  middle  of  the  last  cen- 
tury) seen  a  large  cross  standing  on  or  near  the  beach  o^  the 
bay,  and  that  this  cross  marked  the  site  of  a  church  that  once 
existed  there.  The  Indian  name  itself  of  that  little  bay  goes 
far  to  show  that  its  shores  were  once  inhabited  by  Father 
Marquette's  Huron  flock,  for  the  Ottawas,  who  settled  in  the 
neighborhood  a  little  later,  called  it  "  The  little  Bay  of  the 


137 

Huron  Squaws,"  i.  e.  where  those  squaws  went  for  water 
(Nadowekweiamishing). 

The  study  of  the  Jesuits  Relations  (1671-79)  soon  con- 
vinced me  that  the  tradition  rested  on  a  solid  foundation. 
From  these  records,  whose  truthfulness  has  never  been  ques- 
tioned by  any  man  of  sense  and  learning,  it  plainly  appears 
that  the  mission  chapel  built  by  Father  Nouvel  about  1674, 
in  which  Father  Marquette's  bones  were  buried,  stood  not, 
as  some  have  supposed,  on  the  Island  of  Mfickinac,  or  on  the 
apex  of  the  southern  peninsula,  commonly  called  Old 
Mackinac,  but  on  th'  point  north  of  the  strait,  then,  as  now, 
called  Point  St.  Ignace.  The  exact  spot,  however,  could  not 
be  made  out  from  the  description  of  the  mission  in  the  Re- 
lations. That  second  church  was  built  at  some  little  distance 
from  the  bark  chapel,  provisionally  put  up  in  the  winter  of 
1673.  Close  to  the  church,  the  Tionontate  Hurons,  with  whom 
that  Father  had  come  from  Chagaouamigong,  lived  in  a  forti- 
fied village.  And  within  sight  of  that  village,  probably  in 
front  of  the  church,  a  large  cross  was  erected  about  1678. 
This  is  about  all  that  could  be  gathered  from  the  Relations. 

My  own  and  Father  Dwy  ^.t's  investigations  and  vain  en- 
deavors to  find  traces  of  the  old  mission  (the  site  of  which  we 
erroneously  surmised  to  have  been  on  higher  ground),  helped 
at  least  to  create  a  lively  interest  in  the  matter,  and  to  keep 
the  people  upon  the  alert  for  any  chance  "find."  All  we 
ascertained  was  the  former  existence  of  an  extensive  Indian 
village  on  the  blufif  overlcoking  the  par+  of  St.  Ignace,  called 
Vide  hoche,  north  of  the  bay  of  a  fortified  hill,  a  good  quarter 
of  a  mile  west  of  the  bay,  and  of  a  long  line  of  pallisades  on 
the  low,  level  ground  at  the  head  of  the  bay.  The  vestiges 
of  the  latter  were  still  visible  in  the  shape  of  a  low,  straight 
ridge,  running  south  and  north;  and  the  Murray  brothers 
(the  owners  of  the  ground)  assured  us  that  they  had,  in  that 
neighborhood,  plowed  up  decayed  cedar  posts.  In  digging  a 
cellar  (in  front  of  what  we  now  believe  to  have  been  the 
Jesuits'  church),  Mr.  David  Murray,  Sr.,  had  even  struck  a 
grave  once  occupied,  to  judge  from  silken  stuffs  and  gold  bor- 
ders found  in  it,  by  some  person  of  distinction.  Here  then 
in  front  of  the  Church,  ai\  was  once  customary,  the  cemetery 
would  seem  to  have  been  located.  The  ground  behind  that  spot 
was  thickly  grown  over  with  shrubs  and  small  evergreens.  It  was 
there  the  discovery  was  made. 


138 

In  the  evening  of  May  4th,  1877  (very  nearly  two  hundred 
years  alter  Father  Marquette's  burial),  Peter  Grondin,  a  half- 
breed,  being  occupied  in  clearing  the  ground  for  Mr.  Patrick 
Murray,  Jr.,  discovered  the  rude  foundation  of  a  building 
36x40  in  size,  the  smaller  side  facing  the  lake.  Being  advised 
of  it,  the  following  day  I  hastened  to  the  spot. 

The  foundation  consisted  of  flat  limestones,  mostly  covered 
with  sand  or  soil.  There  were  no  traces  of  a  chimney — k 
p*'Oof  that  the  building  had  not  been  an  ordinary  dwelling 
house.  But  immediately  adjoining  it,  to  the  west,  there  were 
the  plain  traces  of  a  larger  building,  divided  into  apartments 
and  furnished  with  three  fire  places,  one  of  which — to  judge 
from  broken  implements  found  in  it — had  served  as  a  for^e. 
(The  Jesuit  brothers  work  at  all  trades.)  At  some  little  dis- 
tance behind  that  complex  of  buildings,  there  were  the  remains 
of  a  "root-house."  The  whole  plan  looked  ever  so  much  like 
that  of  a  church,  an  adjoining  sacristy,  and  residence  of  priests, 
with  workshops,  a.  s.  f.,  all  on  a  small  scale.  And  now,  our 
attention  being  sharpened,  we  also  discovered,  what  we  could 
have  seen  before — the  traces  of  seven  or  eight  small  log  houses, 
in  the  shape  of  square  ridges,  with  a  heap  of  stones — the 
ruins  of  a  chimney  on  one  side,  and  a  hollow — the  former 
cellar — in  the  middle.  These  buildings  stoo^  at  some  distance 
south  of  the  presumed  church.  And  north  of  it  was  the  ground, 
cleared  long  before,  where  the  stumps  of  cedar-posts  had  been 
plowed  up. 

A  hollow,  about  five  feet  deep,  in  the  south-west  corner  of 
the  chimney  less  building  (just  in  front  of  the  spot  where,  in 
our  churches,  the  altar  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  stands)  had  at 
once  attracted  my  attention.  But  excavations  were  out  of  the 
question,  as  the  owner  of  the  ground  had  conscientious  scru- 
ples in  regard  to  having  the  presumable  grave  of  a  holy  man 
disturbed.  This  gave  me  (and  other  persona  who  took  an 
interest  in  the  matter)  ample  time  to  search  historical  docu- 
ments before  digging  up  the  ground. 

The  chief  source  lor  ascertaining  the  exact  locality  and 
the  surroundings  of  the  Jesuit  mission  was  found  in  the 
second  volume  of  La  Hontan's  Travels,  which  contains  a  de- 
scription and  plan  of  the  Michilimackinac  (or  St.  Ignace) 
settlement,  as  it  was  in  1688,  eleven  years  after  Father  Mar- 
quette's burial.  At  the  sight  of  that  plan  everything  at  once 
became  clear.    There  were  first,  along  the  southern  border  of 


e- 


ce 
of 


139 

^he  little  bay,  the  small  houses  of  the  French  traders ;  next, 
north  of  these,  near  the  head  of  the  bay,  the  Jesuits'  chapel 
<"some  sort  of  a  church,"  as  that  writer  saucily  calls  it);  then, 
adjoining  it  to  the  north,  but  still  on  the  level  ground,  the 
Hurons'  fortified  village;  and  farther  off,  on  the  higher  ground 
north  of  the  bay,  the  larger  Ottawa  village.*  It  was  impos- 
sible not  to  recognize  the  perfect  correspondence  between  that 
p4an  and  the  vestiges  found  on  the  spot;  and  every  intelligent 
visitor  of  the  ground  during  that  summer  (among  them 
oome  historical  students)  declared  himself  convinced.' 

At  last  Mr.  Murray's  scruples  being  removed,  we  obtained 
permission  to  excavate.  Monday,  Sept.  8,  in  the  presence  of 
probably  not  far  from  two  hundred  persons  —  people  of  the 
Tillage  and  neighborhood,  with  a  few  tourists  and  other 
visitors  from  a  distance  —  a  ditch  was  drawn  across  the  area 
of  the  presumed  church;  and  no  traces  of  former  disturbance 
being  found  in  the  sandy  and  gravelly  ground,  the  cellar-like 
hollow  in  the  corner  was  attacked.  The  expecti«tion  was  on 
"tiptoe,  for  by  that  time  almost  every  one  present  knew  that 
Father  Marquette's  bones,  having  been  brought  to  St.  Ignace 
in  a  birch  bark  box  (from  his  first  grave  in  Lower  Michigan) 
were  buried  together  with  that  box  in  a  small  cellar  under  the 
Jesuits'  church;  and  also  that  this  church  had  been  destroyed 
by  fire  (in  1705),  and  never  after  restored.  Had  those  precious 
relics  been  removed  before  the  fire  by  the  missionaries  them- 
selves (who  burned  the  chapel  to  prevent  desecration  after 


1.  The  fortified  hill  north  of  the  bay  la  not  accounted  for  by  La  Hontan's 
plan.  As  this  writer  does  not  mention  the  existence  of  a  French  fort,  at  the 
time  of  his  vjslt,  It  must  be  presumed  that  the  fortified  quarters  of  the  French 
garrison,  which  certainly  existed  a  few  years  later,  were  not  yet  built  In  1688; 
and  the  circumstance  that  the  spur-shaped  hill  in  question  is  separated  from 
the  ground  behind  by  a  very  deep  ditch,  makes  it  probable  that  this  was  the 
French  fort  mentioned  in  later  reports.  The  Indians  were  not  in  the  habit  of 
intrenching  themselves  in  that  manner. 

2.  La  Hontan  has  the  name  of  an  unreliable  author.  The  facts  are  these: 
That  flippant  writer  did  not  scruple  to  invent  incidents  and  misrepresent 
fncts,  for  the  gratification  of  his  vanity,  or  his  rancor.  Thus,  for  instance, 
he  fabricated  a  most  adventurous  voyage  on  a  western  confluent  of  the 
Mississippi  that  has  no  existence,  among  impossible  Indian  tribes  of  culture, 
immense  wealth,  and  ridiculously  strange  manners.     But  wherever  these 

Eersonal  motives  did  not  come  into  play,  and  where  the  discovery  of  false- 
ood  would  uave  been  inevitable  and  imminent,  ht-  deserves  as  much  credit 
as  the  average  writer  of  travels  of  his  time.  Now,  any  fabrication  relating 
to  the  post  and  mission  of  St.  Igr.ace  would  at  once  have  been  discovered  and 
exposed,  and  La  Hontan  knew  that.  Nor  can  there  anv  personal  motive  be 
imagined  that  might  have  induced  him  to  give  a  false  description  of  the 
position  of  the  several  buildings  and  villages.  Besides,  to  all  appearance,  his 
plan  of  Mlchlllmaoklnao  (St.  Ignace)  is  borrowed  from  some  contemporaneous 
topographer,  and  perfectly  agrees  with  later  descriptions,  e.  g.  Cadillac's. 


f 
.  if 


140 

their  departure),  or  after  the  destruction  by  other  parties  T 
Either  was  poBsible;  but  if  the  remains  were  gone,  some 
trace  of  the  grave  or  even  the  bark  casket  itself  might  be 
found. 

The  fact  that  the  hollow  referred  to  had  been  a  cellar  was 
soon  placed  beyond  question  by  the  digging  up  of  two  half 
decayed  corner  posts  and  pieces  of  plank,  and  by  the  exposure 
of  the  original  level  bottom  four  or  five  feet  below  the  general 
surface,  and  covered  with  about  a  foot  of  decayed  vegetable 
matter.  On  that  floor  quite  a  number  of  articles,  the  evident 
debris  of  a  wooden  building  destroyed  by  fire,  were  found 
scattered,  such  as  nails,  spikes,  the  hinge  of  a  door,  broken 
glassware,  blackened  pieces  of  mortar  (still  plainly  showing 
the  imprint  of  cedar  logs,  the  interstices  between  which  they 
had  once  filled),  superficially  burnt  pieces  of  small  timber, 
etc.  Finally  near  the  western  end  of  the  cellar,  a  parched 
piece  of  birch  bark  came  to  sight,  soon  followed  by  others  of 
various  size,  mostly  all  more  or  less  scorched.  Some  of  them 
showed  on  one  side  sharply  cut  edges  and  inverted  borders, 
and  on  being  handed  to  Indians  or  half-Ureeds  pi^esent,  were 
declared  by  them  to  be  fragments  of  a  large  and  strong  box 
(makak).  Almost  all  of  these  pieces  were  found  underneath 
the  floor  of  the  cellar,  in  a  space  evidently  once  dug  out  for 
the  purpose  of  hurrying  something,  and  now  filled  with  loose, 
blackened  sand,  quite  different /rom  the  surrounding  clean 
and  pebbly  ground.  Mixed  with  that  sand  and  these  shreds 
of  bark  there  were  many  small  globular  pieces  of  apparently 
pure  lime,  quite  soft  and  damp.  (Possibly  the  box  might 
have  been  covered  with  a  thin  layer  of  lime;  this  would  help 
to  account  for  the  fact  that  the  fire  reached  the  box,  which 
was  not  likely  if  it  was  covered  with  sand  and  gravel.} 
Within  the  same  space  we  found  two  fragments  of  bone,  about 
the  size  of  the  first  and  second  link  of  your  finger.  At  last, 
at  a  depth  of  about  one  and  a  half  foot  under  the  floor  of  the 
cellar,  there  appeared  a  large  and  strong  piece  of  bark, 
scorched  on  the  upper  surface  only.  It  rested  perfectly  level 
on  three  much  decayed  sticks,  and  was  plainly  still  in  the 
same  position  in  which  it  had  first  been  laid  This  piece, 
about  one  and  a  half  foot  in  length,  plainly  was  but  the  frag- 
ment of  a  larger  one,  placed  unchr  the  box,  like  the  pieces 
of  bark  which  you  still  see  the  Indians  put  on  the  bottom  of 
graves.    (It  would  not  be  strange  at  all,  if  the  missionaries 


141 

had  in  that  matter  followed  the  Indian  custom.)  That  it  did 
not  form  part  of  the  box  was  shown  by  one  well  preserved 
•corner's  being  cut  round  with  a  knife.  Below  that  piece  the 
ground  had  not  been  disturbed. 

A  careful  search  within  the  space  excavated  under  the  floor 
of  the  cellar  led  to  no  further  discovery.  The  evening  being 
nearly  spent,  we  left  the  ground  with  mixed  feelings  of  sad- 
ness and  joy.  Our  hopes  of  finding  the  remains  of  the  saintly 
Father  were  disappointed,  but  all  present  were  satisfied,  from 
the  overwhelming  force  of  circumstantial  evidence,  that  they 
had  beheld  the  spot  where  Father  Marquette's  bones  had  been 
buried  two  hundred  years  ago,  and  touched  the  fragments  of 
the  box  in  which  they  had  been  placed  for  transportation 
from  his  first  burying  place. 

Presuming  to  be  the  natural  custodian  of  the  articles  found 
in  the  cellar,  and  with  the  silent  consent  of  the  owner  of  the 
grounds,  I  took  the  fragments  of  bones  and  birch*  bark  along 
with  me,  and  caused  as  much  of  the  debris  as  I  considered 
serviceable  as  pieces  (►f  evidence,  to  be  brought  to  my  house. 
The  following  moroing  duty  called  me  away  from  home.  But 
great  was  my  surprise  ^  len  upon  my  return,  Wedesday  even- 
ing, a  young  man  of  the  place  (Joseph  Marly,  now  dead)  came 
into  my  room  to  hand  me  a  handkerchief  full  of  blackened 
:Band  and  dust,  which  he  had  scraped  up  from  the  bottom  of 
the  cellar,  at  some  little  distance  from  the  deeper  hollow,  and 
which  contained  over  thirty  small  pieces  of  bone  from 
dififerent  parts  of  the  human  frame,  such  as  the  skull,  the 
hands  or  feet,  the  limbs,  the  spine,  etc.  There  was  not  one 
■entire  bone  among  them :  they  all  looked  like  pieces  dropped 
out  of  larger  bones  which  had  been  cracked  by  the  heat. 
Experts,  to  whom  these  fragments  were  handed  for  examina- 
tion—one of  them  unaware,  at  the  time,  of  the  discovery  and 
its  circumstances — declared  them  to  be  human,  very  old,  and 
acted  upon  by  intense  heat.  A  surgeon  directed  my  atten- 
tion to  a  cut  made  with  some  sharp  instrument  across  the 
upper  surface  of  a  fragment  of  the  cranium — perhaps  by  one 
^f  the  Ottawas  who  dissected  the  body  and  scraped  the  skin 
off  the  bones  before  putting  them  into  the  box. 

These  bones,  dug  out  the  day  after  the  discovery,  had  been 
•covered  with  sand,  in  consequence  of  the  caving-in  of  the 
western  bank  of  the  cellar,  near  which  they  lay,  and  towards 
^hich  we  had  not  extended  oar  search.    Their  looks  and  the 


142 


stuff  in  which  they  were  bedded,  as  well  as  the  character  of 
the  finder  (who  neither  expected,  nor  got  any  reward),  left 
no  room  for  the  least  suspicion  of  fraud.  Besides,  at  the 
occasion  of  leveling  the  ground  for  the  erection  of  a  little 
monument,  four  years  ago,  a  few  more  fragments  of  an  exactly 
similar  character  were  found. 

May  I  suggest  the  circumstances  which  would  seem  to  ac- 
count for  the  scattering  of  these  bones  on  the  floor  of  the 
cellar,  outside  of  the  grave?  It  might  have  happened  in  thi& 
manner: 

Some  time  after  the  destruction  of  the  church  and  the 
departure  of  the  missionaries  (whose  Christian  flock  had  been 
persuaded  by  Cadillac  to  follow  him  to  his  new  post  of  Pont- 
chartrain,  or  Detroit),  some  of  the  remaining  pagans,  being 
aware  of  the  remarkable  cures  wrought  at  the  Father's  tomb, 
may  have  removed  his  remains  for  the  purpose  of  using  them 
as  charms,  or  for  medicine— you  know  the  custom  of  those 
poor  people;  or  do  they  not,  in  your  neighbood  also,  carry 
bones  in  their  "medicine  bags,"  or  grind  them  to  powder  for 
external  use,  e.  g.  to  cure  the  head-ache  by  the  application  of 
ground  skull  bones  ?  Now,  in  taking  the  bones  out  of  the 
grave,  one  of  those  Indians  squatting  in  front  of  it,  may  have 
thrown  them  on  the  floor  of  the  cellar,  near  the  opposite 
bank;  and  there  the  small  fragments,  dropping  off,  remained,, 
while  the  larger  bones  were  distributed  among  the  crowd  and 
taken  away.  The  shreds  of  the  partly  burned  box  which 
might  have  been  thrown  out,  would  have  been  washed  back 
into  the  hollow  by  the  rain,  the  small  particles  of  bone — from 
the  size  of  a  pea  to  the  larger  link  of  yuur  thumb — remain- 
ing imbedded  in  the  sand,  would  seem  to  show  that  the  work 
was  done  in  haste,  and  not  with  that  pious  care  which  the 
missionaries  would  have  employed  had  they  effected  the  exhu- 
mation. Besides,  they  would,  in  all  likelihood,  have  takea 
out  the  bones  with  the  box  (which  after  twenty -eight  years- 
must  have  been  almost  as  good  as  new),  hejore,  with  sad  hearts, 
they  set  fire  to  their  dear  chapel.  Perhaps  you  will  ask,  why 
they  should  not  have  done  so,  and  taken  the  precious  remains 
along  with  them  to  Canada.  We  would  had  done  so  undoubt- 
edly; but  it  was  not  thdr  custom.  They  left  the  bones  of 
their  fallen  brethren,  where  they  first  laid  them  to  rest,  on 
the  field,  as  it  were,  of  battle.  I  know  of  one  exception  only, 
in  the  case  of  the  martyred  Brebeuf,  whose  skull  was  takeni 


143 

from  the  shores  of  Lake  Huron  to  Quebec.  But  his  was  an 
exceptional  death  also;  nor  is  it  certain  that  the  relic  was 
brought  thither  by  his  brethren.  Father  Marquette,  whose 
fame  towere  now  aoove  that  of  his  not  less  worthy  companions 
in  the  western  mission,  on  account  of  his  journey  of  explora- 
tion, did  not  hold  that  prominent  position  two  hundred 
years  ago. 

Is  it  then,  yon  may  ask,  absolutely  certain  that  the  modest 
monument  erected  by  the  people  of  the  neighborhood,  in  the 
city  of  St.  Ignace,  marks  the  true  site  of  Father  Marquette's 
grave?  I  am  not  yet  prepared  to  say  so.  But  I  have  not 
heard  of,  nor  can  I  imagine,  any  circumstance  connected  with 
our  search,  that  would  warrant  any  positive  doubt.  Every 
thing  it  seems  to  me,  answers  the  requirements  of  good  cir- 
cumstantial proof  so  nicely — thousands  of  judicial  decisions 
are  rendered  on  much  slighter  evidence — that  mere  chance 
could  have  brought  about  such  an  orderly  combination  of  facts 
with  as  much  probability  only,  as  two  alphabets  of  type, 
scattered  on  the  ground,  might  be  expected  to  form,  in  the 
proper  succession  of  letters,  the  name  of  Marquette.  If  you 
or  anybody  else,  are  leaning  more  on  the  side  of  doubt,  I  snail 
not  quarrel  with  you. 

Some  of  the  remains  were  re-interred  under  the  monument, 
together  with  specimens  of  the  debris.  Other  pieces  are  in 
the  possession  of  a  number  of  the  admirers  of  Father  Mar- 
quette, all  over  the  country.  The  greatest  and  most  interest- 
ing collection  (the  bones  being  arranged  in  a  neat  casket,  pre- 
sented for  that  purpose,  by  Rev.  Father  Faerber  of  St.  Louis) 
will  be  piously  preserved  in  the  Marquette  College  of  Milwau- 
kee.    I  thought  it  would  be  safer  there  than  in  the  hands  of 

Your  friend,  E.  J. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 


Re-establishment  of  the  Mission  of  the  Holy  Ghost 

UNDER     the     patronage     OF    St.    JosEPH,    BY    FaTHER 

Baraga;  his  successors;  present  state  of  the  Mission; 
conclusion. 

During  164  years  the  mission  of  the  Holy  Ghost  at  La 
Pointe  du  Saint  Esprit  was  unattended,  namely  from  1671, 


t|^ 


144 

when  Father  Marquette  left,  until  1835,  when  Father,  after- 
wards Bishop,  Baraga  arrived.  There  is  no  authentic 
record,  nor  even  a  tradition,  that  any  Catholic  priest  ever 
visited  this  mission  during  the  eighteenth  century. 

Bishop  Baraga  was  born  on  the  29th  of  June,  1797,  in  the 
parish  of  Dobernik,  Unterkrain,  Austria.  He  studied  law  in 
Vienna,  then  theology  in  Laibach,  where  he  was  ordained  i© 
1823.  Having  labored  with  great  zeal  for  th^  salvation  of 
souls  in  his  fatherland  for  about  seven  vears,  he  resolved  to 
go  to  the  United  States,  to  labor  for  the  conversion  of  the 
pagan  Indians. 

He  left  Vienna  on  the  12th  of  November,  1830,  and,  em- 
barking at  Havre  de  Grace,  Dec.  1st,  landed  at  New  York, 
Dec.  31st.  Partly  by  boat,  partly  by  stage,  he  traveled  via 
Philadelphia  and  Baltimore  to  Cincinnati,  where  he  arrived 
in  good  health  on  the  18th  of  January,  1831.  He  was  re- 
ceived with  great  kindness  hy  Bishop  Edward  Fenwick,  of 
Cincinnati.     He  describes  Bishop  as  a  most   humble, 

kind-hearted,  pious  and  l  .^as  prelate,  who  greatly  re- 
joiced, when  Father  Baraga  told  him  that  he  did  not  intend 
to  stay  in  the  city,  but  that  he  wish  ad  to  go  to  the  wild  In- 
dians. The  Bishop  promised  to  take  him  along  on  his  next 
episcopal  visitation  to  an  Indian  mission  of  his  Diocese. 
During  the  winter  Father  Baraga  attended  to  the  spiritual 
wants  of  the  German  Catholics  of  Cincinnati,  and  studied 
the  Ottawa  language  under  an  Indian  seminarist,  probably 
William  Makatebinessi  (Black  Bird),  a  fuU-bloodea  Ottawa 
from  Arbre  Croche,  who  afterwards  went  to  Rome  to  con- 
tinue his  studies,  and  there  died  of  an  injury  received  at  the 
Corso  races. 

On  the  21st  of  April,  1831,  Father  Baraga  left  Cincinnati 
to  go  to  the  Indian  mission  of  Arbre  Croche,  "Waganakisi" 
(Crooked  Tree),  now  Harbor  Springs,  where  he  arrived  on  the 
28th  of  May.  A  few  weeks  later,  Bishop  Fenwick  arrived, 
and  installed  the  zealous  priest  as  pastor  of  the  Mission,  to 
the  great  joy  of  the  poor  Indians.  Father  Baraga's  heart 
overflowed  with  joy.  "  Happy  day  I"  says  he,  writing  to 
the  Leopoldin  Society,  "happy  day,  which  has  placed  me  in 
the  midst  of  the  wild  Indians,  with  whom  I  will  stay,  if  it 
be  the  will  of  God,  until  the  last  breath  of  my  life."  Arbre 
Croche  was  an  old  Jesuit  mission  of  the  seventeenth  century. 
In  1695  it  used  to  be  attended  by  the  Fathers  stationed  at 


145 


10 

n 
it 

re 

y- 

at 


Mackinaw,  and  the  baptismal  recoi  Js  are  still  preserved  at 
St.  Ignace.  The  first  entries  are  of  1741,  and  the  last  of  1765, 
by  Father  du  Jaunay.  acting  Cur6  of  Michilimackinac. 

Father  Baraga  loved  his  poor  Indians  with  a  warm-hearted 
affection,  which  was  reciprocated  by  them.  He  praises  their 
childlike  attachment  and  humble  obedience.  They  always 
addressed  him  with  ihe  endearing  name  of  father,  and  be- 
haved like  good  children  towards  him.  His  daily  order  was 
this  :  He  said  mass  early,  before  which  an  Indian  chief 
read  aloud,  out  of  a  prayer-book,  the  morning  prayers. 
Every  evening  the  bell  was  rung,  the  Indians  assembled  in 
the  chapel,  devout  hymns  were  sung  and  night-prayers  said, 
after  which  the  Father  gave  them  catechetical  instruction  to 
ground  them  more  and  more  in  the  knowledge  and  practice 
of  religion.  On  Sundays  they  had  devotions  four  times  in 
the  chapel,  namely,  early  in  the  morning  to  say  morning- 
pi  yers,  then  high  mass  at  10  a.  m.  Vespers  at  3  o'clock 
with  instruction  ;  finally,  at  sunset,  night-prayers.  In  the 
short  space  of  two  and  a  half  months  he  baptized  seventy- 
two  Indians,  old  and  young.  He  lived  m  the  greatest 
poverty,  a  log-hut  covered  with  bark  being  his  pastoral 
residence.  When  it  rained,  he  had  to  spread  his  cloak  over 
his  books  and  papers,  to  keep  them  from  getting  wet ;  yet 
he  felt  happier  than  many  a  millionaire  in  his  palace.  By 
Jan.  4,  1832,  in  seven  months,  he  had  baptized  131  Indians. 
Between  April  22d  and  June  4th,  1832,  he  baptized  again 
109  pagans,  most  of  whom  were  adults.  Total  number  of 
baptisms  in  Abre  Crocbe,  461. 

In  August,  1832,  while  the  Arbre  Croche  Indians  were  on 
their  yearly  excursion  to  Canada,  to  receive  the  English 
gratuities,  Father  Baraga  printed  an  Ottawa  prayer  and 
hymn  book  and  catechism.  When  present  in  Detroit  for 
this  purpose,  a  priest  of  the  city  in  a  letter,  thus  briefly,  but 
significantly,  expressed  himself  on  the  character  of  his 
•colleague:  "Father  Baraga  is  very  poor  and  lives  like  a 
Trappist,  but  his  happiness  is  immeasurably  great." 

In  the  autumn  of  1833,  having  obtained  a  successor  for  his 
mission  in  the  person  of  Father  Saenderl,  C.  S.  S.  R.,  Father 
Baraga  repaired  to  the  large  village  on  Grand  River,  near  the 
present  site  of  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  where  in  the  preceding 
spring  he  had  already  instructed  and  baptized  a  hundred 
pagan  Indians,  in  one  day  forty-six.    He  arrived  there  Sep- 


146 

tember  23d.  Here  he  bad  to  fight  whiskey,  and  for  this  reason 
drew  upon  himself  the  hatred  of  liquor-traders  and  their 
victims,  the  poor,  drunken,  pagan  Indians.  He  was  no  longer 
safe  in  his  own  house.  One  night  a  howling  band  of  drunken 
savages  came  to  take  his  life,  but,  finding  it  impossible  to 
break  open  the  door,  they  were  obliged  to  desist.  In  sixteen 
months  lie  baptized  170  persons  and,  finding  a  successor  in 
Father  Viszoczky,  a  Hungarian  missipner,  he  prepared  to  go 
to  La  Pointe,  Wis. 

He  had  to  \^ait  for  the  opening  of  navigation,  and  in  the 
mef.iiwhile  attended  the  white  settlers  on  St.  Claire  River.  . 
Hid  heart,  however,  was  with  the  Indians  of  Lake  Superior. 
He  wrote  from  his  mission  on  the  St.  Claire  :  "  It  appears 
strange  to  me  to  be  in  a  congregation  of  whites.  I  live  here 
in  peace  and  am  much  more  comfortable  than  among  my 
Indiane,  but  I  feel  like  a  fish  thrown  on  dry  land.  The  In- 
dian mission  is  my  life.  Now,  having  learned  the  latiguage 
tO'.erably  well  and  beinjc  in  hopes  that  I  will  perfect  myself 
therein  still  more,  I  am  firmly  resolved  to  spend  the  remain- 
der of  my  life  in  the  Indian  mission,  if  it  be  the  will  of  God. 
I  am  longing  for  the  moment  of  my  departure  for  Lake 
Superior.  Many,  I  hope,  will  there  be  converted  to  the  re- 
ligion of  Christ,  and  will  find  in  it  their  eternal  salvation. 
Oh !  How  the  thought  elevates  me  I  Would  that  I  had  wings 
to  fly  over  our  ice-bound  lakes,  so  as  to  be  sooner  among  the 
pagans  !  But  what  did  I  say  ?  Many  will  be  converted !  Oh 
no  !  If  only  one  or  two  were  converted  and  saved,  it  would 
be  worth  while  to  go  there  and  preach  the  gospel.  But  God^ 
in  his  infinite  goodness,  always  gives  more  than  we  expect.'^ 

On  the  8th  of  June,  1835,  Father  Baraga  left  Detroit  with 
as  much  money  as  would  bring  him  to  Lake  Superior,  and 
with  a  box  of  goods  just  received  from  Vienna,  for  his  new 
mission.  On  the  27th  of  July  he  arrived  at  La  Pointe  after  a 
tedious  voyage  of  eighteen  months,  in  a  schooner  on  Lake 
Superior.  Three  dollars  was  all  the  money  he  had  when  he 
arrived  at  La  Pointe.  He  found  a  motley  crowd  there, — 
French,  half-breeds,  Indians,  Americans,  etc.  With  his  usual 
zeal  he  went  to  work  to  erect  a  log  chapel,  50x20  ft.  and  18  ft. 
high .  The  work  began  August  3rd  and  by  the  9th  of  that 
same  month  the  building  was  so  far  completed  that  he  could 
say  Mass  in  it  on  that  day. 


■i 


lal 

ft. 


147 

His  time  was  spent  during  the  winter  in  instructing  his- 
Indians,  preparing  the  catechumens  for  baptisnij  and  com- 
posing books  for  their  instruction.  He  then  wrote  the  follow- 
ing works :  ] ,  an  Otchipwe  prayer  and  hymn-book  and  cate- 
chism, which  even  to  this  day  is  almost  the  only  prayer-book 
the  Indians  of  Lake  Superior  use;  2,  an  extract  of  the  history 
of  the  Old  and  Hew  Testament,  and  a  translation  of  the 
epistles  and  gospels  of  the  year  in  the  same  language ;  3,  c 
treatise  on  the  history,  character,  manners  and  customs  of 
the  North- American  Indians  in  German;  4,  a  popular  devo- 
tional work  in  the  Slavonic  language.  At  a  subsequent 
period  he  published  four  other  valuable  works  :  1,  a  medita- 
tion book,  and  2,  a  book  of  instruction  on  the  principal 
events  in  the  life  of  Christ,  the  doctrines  of  Faith,  the  Com- 
mandments of  God  and  the  Church,  the  Holy  Sacramento; 
and  short  sermons  against  the  principal  vices  among  Indians,. 
3,  an  Otchipwe-English  Dictionary;  and  4,  a  Grammar  of  the 
Otchipwe  language.  These  works  show  his  great  scholarship, 
mental  activity,  and  great  zeal  for  the  conversion,  enlighten- 
ment, and  elevation  of  the  Indian  race. 

Father  Baraga's  poverty  at  that  period  of  his  life  reached 
an  almost  alarming  degree.  His  food  consisted  principally 
of  fish  and  bread,  if  both  could  be  had  together.  At  first  he 
had  two  Germans,  who  used  to  stop  with  him,  doing  the 
cooking;  afterwards  his  sister,  who  had  been  married  to  a 
German  Count,  then  deceased,  kept  house  for  him  about  two 
years.  Later  he  used  to  take  his  meals  with  Mrs.  Perinier,a 
very  pious  and  charitable  lady,  who  is  still  alive  (1886)  and 
loves  to  speak  of  Father  Baraga,  his  childlike  simplicity, 
kindheartedness,  zeal  and  labors.  The  people  of  La  Pointe — 
we  speak  of  the  Indian  portion  of  them — were  then  very 
poor.  Many  of  their  children  ran  about  naked  during  the 
greatest  part  of  the  year,  and  in  winter  had  barely  a  rag  to 
cover  their  nakedness,  to  protect  themselves  against  the 
rigors  of  these  northern  winters.  This  pained  the  kindhearted 
Father  very  much,  especially  as  he  had  to  witness  the  dis- 
tress and  starvation  of  whole  families,  without  being  able  to 
do  anything  for  them.  His  own  clothes  he  managed  to  pre- 
serve a  long  time  by  great  care  and  timely  repairing. 

On  the  29th  of  September,  1836,  he  started  for  Europe  to 
collect  funds  for  his  La  Pointe  mission.  In  the  winter  of 
1836-37  he  had  the  first  four  above-named  works  printed  in. 


148 


Paris.  In  his  native  country  he  was  received  with  great  dis- 
tinction and  listened  to  by  immense  crowds.  In  the  spring 
of  1837  he  was  again  on  his  way  to  Lake  Superior,  and  on 
the  8th  of  October  he  arrived  at  La  Pointe. 

He  worked  incessantly  at  the  conversion  of  the  pagan 
Indians.  From  July  25,  1835  to  January  1, 1836,  he  baptized 
186  Indians,  half-breeds  and  whites,  many  of  them  adults. 
In  all,  he  baptized  in  this  mission  981.  During  winter  he 
used  to  travel  on  snow-shoes  from  mission  to  mission,  along 
the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Superior,  suffering  hunger,  cold 
and  other  inexpressible  hardships  and  privations.  God  alone 
knows  all  this  saintly  man  did  and  sufifered  for  the  love  of 
God  and  his  dear  Indians.  His  spare  time  he  employed  in 
teaching  them  to  sing  religious  hymns  for  divine  service  and 
private  devotion,  and  in  making  rosaries  for  them.  He  some- 
times gave  them  his  own  dinner.  On  Sunday's  a  large  pot 
of  corn  would  be  boiled  for  them,  so  that  those  who  lived  at 
a  distance  might  not  be  obliged  to  go  home  after  mass,  but 
could  stop  at  the  presbytery,  or  near  it,  for  vespers  and  ser- 
mon. Ouv  of  his  own  pocket  he  built  for  them  fourteen  neat 
log  houses,  besides  giving  them  clothes,  linen,  etc.,  for  their 
half-naked  children.  In  fact,  he  gave  them  too  much  alto- 
gether—so to  say — spoiled  them  through  excessive  kindness. 

With  the  funds  collected  in  Europe  he  finished  his  church 
in  August,  1838,  and  the  annexed  presbytery,  and  on  Sunday, 
September  2,  of  the  same  year  it  was  dedicated  to  God  under 
the  patronage  of  St.  Joseph.  This  was  the  old  church — the 
Jirst  church  ever  built  on  La  Pointe  Island,  for  Father  Mar- 
quette's chapel  was  not  built  on  the  island,  as  some  errone- 
ously imagine,  but  on  the  mainland,  at  the  head  of  Ashland 
Bay,  probably  about  six  miles  above  Washburn,  at  the  south- 
west corner  of  the  bay;  neither  is  there  any  part  of  Mar- 
quette's Chapel,  nor  are  there  any  materials  thereof  in  the 
present  church  of  La  Pointe,  as  such  were  not  even  in  the 
old  chapel,  built  alongside  the  Indian  cemetery  on  the  south- 
eastern side  of  said  graveyard  at  Middlefort.  The  American 
Fur  Company  gave  a  log  building  of  theirs  to  Father  Baraga, 
and  partly  out  of  it  and  partly  out  of  new  materials  the  first 
chapel  at  Middlefort  was  constructed.  On  the  7th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1838,  Rt.  Rev.  Frederic  Rese,  first  Bishop  of  Detroit 
came  to  La  Pointe,  and  on  the  9th  of  the  same  month  he 
<5onfirmed  112  Indians  and  Canadians. 


149 

In  the  year  1841,  Father  Baraga  built  the  present  church 
of  La  Pointe,  having  torn  down  the  old  one  at  Middlefort^ 
which  had  not  been  well  built.  The  church  was  finished  in 
July  of  that  year  and  blessed  by  Father  Baraga  on  the  first 
Sunday  of  August,  1841,  under  the  patronage  of  St.  Joseph. 
On  the  4th  of  October,  1843,  he  left  La  Pointe  to  start  a  new 
mission — rather  revive  the  old  mission  of  Father  Menard,  in 
St.  Theresa  (now  Keweenaw)  Bay,  of  1660 — this  was  done  with 
the  approbation  of  Rt.  Rev.  Peter  Paul  Lefevre,  second 
Bishop  of  Detroit,  who  sent  Father  Skolla  to  La  Pointe  and 
gave  L'Anse,  Michigan  to  Father  Baraga.  On  the  27th  of 
July,  1844,  Father  Baraga  came  to  La  Pointe,  and  stayed 
there  a  few  weeks  to  attend  to  the  spiritual  wants  of  his 
former  parishioners  and  prepare  many  of  his  Indians  for 
confirmation.  On  the  14th  of  August  1844,  Rt.  Rev.  John 
Martin  Henni,  first  Bishop,  afterwards  Archbishop  of  Mil- 
waukee, visited  this  most  northern  mission  of  his  diocese, 
and  on  the  16th  of  said  month  confirmed  122  Indians  and 
Canadians.  On  the  3d  of  September,  Father  Baraga  returned 
to  L'Anse.  Subsequently  he  made  several  visits  to  La  Pointe, 
both  before  and  after  his  elevation  to  the  episcopal  dignity. 

In  L.'Anse  he  labored  with  his  customary  zeal  and  success. 
An  humble  church  was  built,  heathenish  superstition, 
diunksness  and  other  vices  extirpated,  and  many  Indians, 
even  from  Lac  Vieux  Desert  and  Lac  du  Flambeau,  con- 
verted. It  was  there  he  published  his  Otchipwe  Dictionary 
and  Grammar,  which  works  place  him  in  the  foremost  rank 
of  Indian  scholars.  In  1853  he  was  consecrated  Bishop  of 
Sault  Ste.  Marie,  where  for  several  years  he  had  to  perform 
all  the  duties  of  a  simple  parish  priest,  laboring  especially 
among  the  neighboring  Indians.  He  afterwards  transferred 
his  See  to  Marquette.  The  writer  has  his  first  Pastoral  letter, 
a  curiosity  of  its  kind,  a  regular  Indian  document,  announc- 
ing to  his  dear  Indians  his  elevation  to  the  Episcopal  dignity. 
Even  as  Bishop  he  used  to  perform  all  the  duties  of  a  simple 
missionary-priest,  hearing  confessions,  instructing  children, 
visiting  the  sick,  etc.  He  died  at  Marquette,  January  19, 
1868.  His  funeral  was  attended  by  all  Marquette— Indians 
and  whites,  Protestants  and  Catholics  vying  with  one  another 
to  honor  the  pious,  humble  and  saintly  missionary  and 
Bishop,  who  had  paseed  out  of  this  world  to  receive  in 
heaven  the  reward  of  his  many  labors  and  hardships. 


150 

On  the  4th  of  October,  184$.  feast  of  St.  Francis  of  Assi- 
.sium,  Rev.  Otto  C.  SkoJla,  0.  S.  F.  Str.  Obs.,  arrived  in  La 
Pointe,  where  he  labored  as  a  true  son  of  St.  Francis  in 
poverty  and  fasting,  leading  an  ahnost  eremitical  life  in 
silence,  prayer,  and  seclusion  from  the  world  for  almost 
eight  yeai-s,  having  baptized  in  that  length  of  time  401 
Indians,  half-breeds  and  whites.  His  last  baptismal  entry 
was  October  7,  1853,  on  which  day,  or  shortly  after,  he  went 
to  labor  among  the  Menominee  Indians.  In  1854,  La  Pointe 
was  attended  for  about  two  months  by  Rev.  Angelus  Vau 
Paemel.  Then  came  Rev.  Timothy  Carie,  whose  baptismal 
entries  extend  from  September  10, 1854  to  December  25, 1855, 
when  he  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  A.  Benoit  and  A.  Van  Paemel, 
Father  Benoit's  last  baptism  was  on  the  25th  of  July,  1858. 
about  which  time  he  left  and  Father  Van  Paemel  took  exclu- 
sive charge  of  the  mission.  He  was  a  Belgian  by  birth,  a 
very  zealous,  mortified  and  pious  man.  He  attended  this 
mission,  which  then  and  long  after  included  Superior,  for 
nearly  four  years. 

He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  John  Cebul,  who  came  here  in 
June,  1860,  and  remained  in  this  mission  for  twelve  years. 
He  was  remarkable  for  his  great  linguistic  talent,'  having 
learned  in  a  comparitively  short  time  three  languages,  which 
he  spoke  fluently;  Fnglish,  French  and  Otchipwe.  He  was 
universally  beloved  by  all  classes.  After  him  Father  Keller 
visited  the  miesion  from  Duluth,  in  November,  1872,  and 
baptized  several  children.  The  next  resident  priest  was  Rev. 
Dr.  Quigly,  author  of  "  The  Cross  and  the  Shamrock,"  "  The 
Prophet  of  the  Ruined  Abbey,"  and  other  works  of  fiction. 
He  was  never  intended  by  nature,  nationality  or  training  for 
an  Indian  missioner,  so  his  stay  was  short — about  nine 
months.  Father  F.  X.  Pfaller  was  his  successor.  He  did  much 
for  this  mission,  procured  a  beautiful  altar  for  the  church  in 
Bayfield,  besides  vestments  and  other  valuable  articles  of 
church  furniture.  He  remained  here  in  Bayfield  for  two 
years,  and  left  in  August,  1875.  During  1876-77  Fathers 
J.  B.  Genin  and  Josepn  Buh  visited  the  mission,  attending 
to  the  spiritual  wants  of  Indians  and  whites.  In  1878,  Father 
A.  T.  Schuttelhofer  visited  this  mission  in  January  and 
March.  On  the  19th  of  June,  of  the  same  year,  the  writer 
arrived  and  had  charge  of  the  La  Pointe  and  Bayfield  mission 
for  about  five  months,  when  he  was  removed  to  Superior. 


151 


The  mission  was  now  given  in  charge  to  the  Franciscan 
'^rder.  On  the  13th  of  October,  1878,  Fathers  Casimir  Vogt 
and  John  Gafron,  0.  S.  F.,  arrived  with  two  lay  Brothers. 
They  and  other  Fathers  of  the  same  Order  have  since  then 
worked  with  great  zeal  and  success  at  the  conversion  of  pagan 
Indians,  of  whom  they  have  baptized  a  great  number.  They 
have,  moreover,  established  Catholic  schools  for  the  religious 
and  secular  training  of  Indian  and  white  children.  They 
have  schools  with  Sisters  at  Bayfield,  LaPointe,  Buffalo  Bay, 
Ashland,  and  Bad  River  Reservation.  They  have  also  an 
industrial  school  for  Indian  girls  at  Bayfield.  The  erection  and 
maintenance  of  these  schools  have  cost  large  sums  of  money, 
contributed  partly  by  generous  benefactors  in  different  parts 
of  the  country,  and  partly  by  collections  made  by  the  inde- 
fatigable, pious  and  zealous  Father  Casimir  in  the  pinery 
among  the  "boys."  The  Fathers  in  Bayfield  have  charge  of 
the  following  missions  :  1.  Bayfield;  2,  Buffalo  Bay;  3,  La 
Pointe:  4,  Washburn;  5,  Ashland;  6.  Drummond;  7,  Ma^on; 
8,  Silver  Creek;  9,  Glidden;  10,  Butternut,  11,  Fifield;  12, 
Phillipps;  13,  Odanah,  Indian  Reservation,  14,  Hurley. 

The  same  Order  has  also  a  residence  occupied  by  three 
Fathers  and  two  Brothers  at  Superior,  Wis.  The  Fathers 
have  a  large  tract  of  country  under  their  care.  There  is,  like- 
wise, a  Franciscan  Residence  at  Keshina,  Shawano  Co.,  Wis., 
among  the  Menominees,  occupied  by  three  Fathers  and  five 
lay  Brothers.  They  have  there  a  large  boarding  and  industrial 
school,  supported  by  the  Government.  The  3ame  Order  has 
a  large  house  at  Harbor  Springs,  the  Arbre  Croche  of  Father 
Baraga,  where  he  labored  so  successfully  for  the  conversion 
of  the  Ottawas  in  1831-32-33. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  sons  of  St.  Francis  now  have 
charge  of  all  the  Indian  Missions  of  Wisconsin,  besides  sev- 
eral in  Michigan. 

On  the  23d  of  August,  1885,  the  220th  year  of  the  first 
foundation  of  this  Mission  by  Father  Allouez,  and  the  50th 
anniversary  of  its  reestablishment  by  Father— afterwards 
Bishop — Baraga,  was  celebrated  with  great  solemnity.  Rt. 
Rev.  Kilian  C.  Flasch,  Bishop  of  La  Crosse,  celebrated  pon- 
tifical high  mass,  assisted  by  the  Rev.  Fathers  Collins  and 
Boehm  of  Eau  Claire,  and  Fathers  Paulinus  Tolksdorf  and 
ChrvBostom  Verwyst,  O.  S.  F.  Rev.  Charles  F.  H.  Goldsmith, 
.S.  T.  D.,  of  Chippewa  Falls,  preached  an  eloquent  sermon, 


>% 


152 

reviewing  the  ancient  and  modern  history  of  La  Pointe  Mis- 
sion. He  was  followed  by  Father  John  Gafron,  O.  S.  F.,  who 
preached  a  good  sermon  on  the  same  subject  in  Chippewa. 
There  were  present:  Rev.  Zeininger,  Rector  of  the  Seminary 
of  St.  Francis,  near  Milwaukee,  Rev.  Abbelen,  Chaplain  of 
Notre  Dame  Institute  in  Milwaukee,  and  Rev.  Van  de  Zande, 
Chancellor  of  the  Archdiocese  of  St.  Louis. 

The  weather  was  beautiful,  and  the  Church  of  La  Pointe 
filled  with  Indians,  from  far  and  near,  who  had  come  to  honor 
their  beloved  Father,  to  whom  many  of  them  owed  their  con- 
version. An  immense  number  of  whites  were  also  present 
from  Bayfield,  Ashland 'and  Washburn.  The  Church  could 
not  hold  one  half  of  the  people.  It  was  tastefully  decorated 
by  the  Indians  both  within  and  without.  May  the  good  God 
grant  Hia  blessing  to  this  Mission,  the  oldest,  except  that  of 
Father  Menard  in  Keweenaw  Bay,  in  the  whole  Northwest, 
and,  whilst  the  Christian  tourist  visits  the  spots,  hallowed 
by  the  presence  of  a  saintly  AUouez,  Marquette  and  Baraga, 
may  he  contribute  a  mite  to  the  preservation  of  the  Indian 
Missions  founded  by  them. 


THK  END. 


Biographical  and  Historical  Notes. 


Rise  and  fall  of  the  Huron  Mission  ;  Martyrdom  of 
Father  Anthony  Daniel,  S.  J. 

In  1615  the  first  three  Franciscan  Fathers  of  the  Recollect 
reform  came  to  Canada  ;  Father  Dennis  Jamay  labored  at 
Quebec,  John  d'Olbeau  at  Tadoussac,  and  Joseph  Le  Caroa 
went  to  Carragouha  among  the  Hurons.  In  1622  Father 
William  Poulain  visited  the  Huron  mission,  which  Father 
Le  Caron  had  been  obliged  to  leave,  in  order  to  attend  the 
Indian  tribes  in  the  vicinity  of  Quebec.  In  the  following 
year  Father  Nicholas  Viel  arrived,  and  with  him  Father  Le 
Caron  returned  to  Carragouha,  where  they  lived  in  Francis- 
can poverty,  and  baptized  two  adults. 

Finding  themselves  too  few  in  numbers  for  the  great  mis- 
oionary  field  before  them,  the  Recollects  invited  the  Jesuits 
to  come  and  labor  with  them  among  the  Indians  of  New 
France.  In  1625  the  first  Jesuit  Fathers,  Father  Charles 
Lalemant,  Edmund  Masse,  and  John  de  Brebeaf,  with  some 
Recollects,  arrived  at  Quebec.  Father  Viel  prepared  to 
descend  to  Three  Rivers  to  make  a  retreat,  consult  his 
superiors,  and  obtain  some  necessarv  articles.  Father  de 
Brebeuf  and  the  Recollect  Joseph  de  la  Roche  Dallion  were 
to  meet  him  at  the  trading  post,  on  the  descent  of  the  annual 
fur  flotilla  from  the  Huron  country,  and  under  his  guidance 
labor  among  the  Hurons,  but  they  never  met.  Shooting  the 
last  rapid  in  Ottawa  river,  behind  Montreal,  the  Indian  who 
conducted  Father  Viel,  from  some  unexplained  hatred, 
hurled  him  and  a  little  Christian  boy  into  the  foaming 
torrent,  and  they  sunk  to  rise  no  more.  To  this  day  the 
place  bears  the  name  of  the  Recollect 's  Rapid. ^ 

1    "Sault  au  Recollet." 


I? 


154 

In  1626  Fathers  de  Brebeuf,  Dallion  and  de  Noue,  after  a 
painful  voyage,  reached  Carragouha.  Father  de  Brebeuf 
labored  there  till  1629,  when  his  superior.  Father  Masse, 
called  him  to  Quebec.  He  had  endeared  himself  to  the  poor 
Indians,  and  when  he  was  or  the  point  of  departing,  they 
crowded  around  him:  "What!  Echon" — that  was  his  In- 
dian name — "dost  thou  leave  us?  Thou  hast  now  been 
here  three  years  to  learn  our  language  to  teach  us  to  know 
thy  God,  to  adore  and  serve  him,  having  come  but  for  that 
end,  as  thcu  hast  shown  ;  and  now,  when  thou  knowest  our 
language  more  perfectly  than  any  other  Frenchman,  thou 
leavest  us.  If  "we  do  not  know  the  God  thou  adorest,  we 
shall  take  him  to  witness,  that  it  is  not  our  fault,  but  thine 
to  leave  us  so." 

Three  days  after  de  Brebeuf 's  arrival  at  Quebec,  that  town 
was  captured  by  the  English,  led  by  the  French  traitor, 
Kirk.  All  the  Fathers,  both  Franciscan  and  Jesuit,  were 
carried  oft'  by  Kirk  to  England.  In  1632  (])an{  da  waa  re- 
stored to  France,  and  in  1633  the  Jesuits  returned  to  Canada. 
In  the  following  year  Fathers  de  Brebeuf,  Daniel  and  Davost 
began  their  apostolic  labors  at  the  new  village,  Ihonatiria. 
There  they  built  in  September  a  log  house,  36  ft.  x  21  ft., 
which,  being  divided  oflf,  gave  them  a  house  and  chapel. 
The  medicine-men  did  all  in  their  power  to  raise  a  persecu- 
tion against  the  Fathers,  but  could  not  succeed.  In  the 
summer  they  were  joined  by  Fathers  Francis  Le  Mercier  and 
Peter  Pijarl.,  and  they  extended  their  labors  to  the  neighbor- 
ing villages.  In  1636  Fathers  Gamier,  Chatelain  and  Isaac 
Jogues  arrived.  A  pestilential  sickness  ravaged  the  country 
of  the  Hurons,  and  the  Fathers,  being  accused  as  the  authors 
thereof,  were  maltreated  and  in  great  danger  of  being  killed 
by  the  superstitious  savages.  Still  they;  labored  on,  baptiz- 
ing 250  dyingj  children  and  adults.  In  1637  the  pestilence 
returned  with  renewed  violence,  and  the  missionaries  wero 
in  constant  danger  of  death,  as  by  the  Indian  custom  any- 
one may  strike  down  a  wizard.  The  mode  of  life  pursued 
by  the  missionaries  conr.rmed  the  superstitious  suspicions 
of  the  savages;  the  mass,  their  prayers  at  night,  their  clock, 
cross,  a  flag  above  their  cabin,  all  were  in  turn  suspected. 
In  October  their  cabin  was  set  on  tire,  and  de  Brebeut  wrote 
to  his  superior  at  Quebec  :  "  We  are  probably  at  the  point 
of  shedding  our  blood  in  the  servict  oi  oui  blessed  master, 


155 


ie 


Jesus  Christ.  His  goodness  apparently  vouchsafes  this 
sacrifice  in  expiation  of  my  great  and  countless  sins,  and  to 
crown  the  past  services  and  the  great  and  hurning  desires  of 
all  our  Fathers  here."  Council  after  council  was  held  hy  the 
Indians ;  finally  the  Fathers  were  condemned  to  die,  and  on 
the  day  named  for  their  execution,  they  gave,  in  accordance 
with  Huron  custom,  their  dying  banquet.  Their  undaunted 
demeanor  had  its  effect.  Once  more  de  Brebeuf  was  sum- 
moned to  the  council,  and  succeeded  in  convincing  the 
sachems  of  their  innocence.  Ashe  left  the  council- hall,  he 
saw  a  medicine-man,  his  greatest  persecutor,  tomahawked  at 
his  side.  Believing  that  in  the  dusk  the  avenger  had  mis- 
taken his  victim,  he  asked  :  "  Was  that  for  me?"  " No,"  was 
the  reply,  "he  was  a  wizard,  thou  art  not." 

The  missionaries  soon  regained  their  popularity,  and  in 
1638  they  baptized  two  families,  besides  many  individuals. 
Their  ranks  were  now  reinforced  by  the  arrival  of  Fathers 
Jerome  Lalemant,  Le  Moyne,  and  Du  Perron.  In  the  spring 
of  1639  they  had  nearly  60,  who  had  made  their  first  com- 
munion. But  new  trials  were  at  hand.  The  small-pox,  the 
greatest  scourge  of  the  Indian,  broke  out  among  them.  The 
terror-stricken  Indians  ascribed  the  scourge  to  the  Fathers. 
The  crosses  on  their  dwellings  were  thrown  down,  tomahawks 
often  glittered  over  their  heads,  their  crucifixes  were  torn 
from  them,  and  one  of  them  cruelly  beaten.  Yet  the  mis- 
sionaries labored  on  calmly  amidst  all  these  trials,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  converting  and  baptizing  many  of  the  sic^!:  and 
dying.  In  1640  Fathers  Charles  Raymbaut  and  Claude 
Pijart  arrived.  The  faith  began  new  to  spread,  and  1,000 
had  beer  baptized,  almost  all  in  danger  of  death,  one-fourth 
being  infants.  The  Christians  and  Catechumens  became  so 
numerous,  that  in  many  villages  they  formed  a  considerable 
party,  and  by  refusing  to  participate  in  the  heathenish  rites 
and  ceremonies  of  their  countrymen,  they  drew  upon  them- 
selves petty  persecution  and  bitter  hatred. 

The  Iroquois,  old  enemies  of  the  Hurons,  began  more  and 
more  to  ravage  their  country,  spreading  everywhere  dismay, 
ruin,  and  death.  But  this  was  the  time  of  salvation  for  the 
fiorely-tried  Huron  nation.  As  famine,  disaster  and  de- 
struction closed  around  them,  they  gathered  beneath  the 
orosB,  their  only  hope.  In  no  town  was  the  chapel  large 
enough  to  hold  the  congregation. 


r 


156 

"On  the  14th  of  July,  1648,  early  in  the  morning,  when 
the  braves  were  absent  on  war  or  hunting  parties,  and  none 
but  old  men,  women,  and  children  tenanted  the  once  strong 
town  of  Teananstayae,  it  was  suddenly  attacked  by  a  large 
Iroquois  force.  Father  Anthony  Daniel,  beloved  of  all,  fresh 
from  his  retreat  at  St.  Clary's  and  full  of  df^sire  fo:  the  glory 
of  heaven,  was  just  preaching  to  his  flock  about  that  place  of 
bliss,  urging  them  to  prepare  for  it  in  joy,  when  suddenly  a 
cry  arose,  "To  arms!  to  arms!"  which,  echoing  tlirough 
the  crowded  chapel,  filled  all  with  terror.  Mass  had  just 
ended,  and  Father  Daniel  hastens  to  the  palisade,  where  the 
few  defenders  had  rallied.  There  he  rouses  their  drooping 
courage,  for  a  formidable  Iroquois  force  was  upon  them. 
Heaven  opens  to  the  faithful  Christian  who  dies  fighting  for 
his  home,  but  to  the  unbeliever  vain  his  struggle,  temporal 
pain  will  be  succeeded  by  endless  torment.  Few  and  quick 
his  words.  Confessing  here,  baptizing  there,  he  hurries  along 
the  line;  then  speeds  him  to  the  cabins.  Crowds  gather 
round  to  implore  baptism  they  had  so  long  refused.  Unable 
to  give  time  to  each,  he  baptizes  by  aspereion,  and  again  hur- 
ries into  cabin  after  cabin  to  shrive  the  sick  and  aged.  At 
last  he  is  at  the  chapel  again.  'Tis  full  to  the  door.  All  had 
gathered  round  the  altar  for  protection  and  defense,  losing 
the  precious  moments.  "FJy,  brethren,  fly,"  exclaimed  the 
devoted  missionary.  "Be  steadfast  till  your  latest  breath  in 
the  faith.  Here  will  I  die  ;  here  must  I  stay  while  I  see  one 
soul  to  gain  for  heaven;  and,  dying  to  serve  you,  my  life  is 
nothing."  Pronouncing  a  general  absolution,  he  urged  their 
flight  from  the  rear  of  the  chapel,  and  advancing  to  the  main 
door,  issued  forth,  and  closed  it  behind  him.  The  Iroquois 
were  already  at  hand,  but  at  the  sight  of  that  man  thus  fear- 
lessly advancing,  they  recoiled,  as  though  some  deity  had 
burst  upon  them.  But  the  next  moment  a  shower  of  arrows 
riddled  his  body.  Gashed,  and  rent,  and  torn,  his  apostolic 
spirit  never  left  him.  Undismayed  he  stands  till  pierced  by 
a  musket  ball,  he  uttered  aloud  the  name  of  Jesus  and  fell 
dead,  as  he  had  often  wished,  by  that  shrine  he  liad  reared 
in  the  wilderness.  His  church,  soon  in  flames,  became  his 
pyre,  and  flung  in  there,  his  body  was  entirely  consumed. 

Thus,  in  the  midst  of  his  labors  perished  Anthony  Daniel^ 
priest  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  unwearied  in  labor,  unbroken 
in  toil,  patient  beyond  belief,  gentle  amid  every  opposition. 


167 


charitable  with  the  charity  of  Christ,  supporting  and  embrac- 
ing all.  Around  him  fell  hundreds  of  his  Christians  ;  and 
thus  sank  in  blood  the  mission  of  St.  Joseph,  at  the  town  of 
Teananstayae.  The  news  of  this  disaster  spread  terror  through 
the  land.*'* 

Village  after  village  was  abandoned.  In  vain  did  the 
missionaries  try  to  arouse  the  Hurons  to  a  systematic  defense 
of  their  country.  Their  courage  was  broken  ;  they  only 
thought  of  fliiiht.  New  disasters  awaited  them.  On  tne  16th 
of  March,  1649,  at  daybreak  an  army  of  a  thousand  Iroquois 
burst  on  the  town  of  St.  Ignatius  and  all  were  massacred  ex- 
cept three,  who,  half  naked,  succeeded  in  reaching  the  neigh- 
boring town  of  St.  Louis.  Sending  away  the  women  and 
•children,  the  braves  prepared  to  defend  the  place.  On  oame 
the  Iroquois,  but  a  well  directed  fire  of  the  Hurons  drove 
them  back.  Yet  in  spite  of  their  losses  the  Iroquois  pressed 
up  to  the  palisade,  and  soon  efifecting  an  entrance  drove  back 
the  few  Hurons  and  fire<i  the  town.  The  place  being  de- 
stroyed the  Iroquois  collected  their  captives  and  began  to 
torture  them  by  tearing  out  their  nails.  They  led  them  to 
St.  Ignatius,  wnere  the  other  captives  had  been  left.  There 
they  most  inhumanly  butchered  Fathers  de  Brebeuf  and 
Lalement,  as  shall  be  described  below.  This  was  the  death- 
blow of  the  Huron  mission;  fifteen  towns  were  abandoned 
and  the  people  fled  in  every  direction.  On  the  7th  of  De- 
■cember  of  the  same  year,  1649,  the  village  Etharita,  among 
the  Tionnontate  Hurons,  called  also  the  Tobacco  Nation  from 
their  cultivating  large  fields  of  tobacco,  was  attacked  and 
destroyed  by  the  Iroquois;  men,  women  and  children  mur- 
dered. Among  the  dead  was  Father  Charles  Garnier,  whose 
death  will  be  described  below,  who,  true  to  his  sublime 
calling,  remained  at  his  post  doing  his  duty  like  a  brave 
soldier  of  the  Cross,  until  a  blow  from  an  Indian  tomahawk 
put  an  end  to  his  life.  Since  the  first  visit  of  the  Recollect 
Father  Le  Caron  in  1615  till  1649,  a  period  of  thirty-four 
years,  twenty-nine  missionaries  had  labored  among  the 
Hurons.  ,  Seven  of  them  had  perished  by  the  hand  of  vio- 
lence, eleven  still  remained;  these,  like  their  neophytes,  scat- 
tered, seeking  to  labor  elsewhere  for  the  salvation  of  souls.* 

1  Shea,  "Catholic  Missions,"  pp.  185-187. 

2  Father  Grelon,  one  of   the  survivors  of  the  Huron  mission,  went  to 
China.    Years  after,  when  traveling  through  the  plains  of  Tariary,  he  met  a 


158 


Heroic  Sufferings  and  Death  op  F^  thers  De  Brkbeuf 

AND  Lalkmant,  S.  J. 

On  the  16tb  of  March,  1649,  a  large  Iroquis  force,  number- 
ing 1000  warriors,  attacked  the  village  of  St.  Ignatius,  at 
break  of  day,  while  the  inhabitants  were  buried  in  sleep. 
They  carried  the  place  by  assault,  put  men,  women  and 
children  to  death  and  set  fire  to  the  cabins.  Out  of  four 
hundred  mhabitantB,  but  three  escaped  to  carry  the  alarm  to 
the  village  of  St.  Tiouis,  but  a  league  distant.  Before  sun- 
rise they  attacked  the  last-named  village,  soon  overpowering 
the  eighty  Hurons,  who  defended  the  place,  and  killed  thirty 
of  them.  They  set  lire  to  the  town  and  cast  into  the  flames 
the  old,  the  infirm,  the  wounded,  and  such  small  children  as 
had  been  unable  to  escape. 

In  the  village  of  St.  Louis,  there  resided  at  the  time  of  the 
assault,  two  Jesuit  Fathers,  John  de  Brebeuf  and  Gabriel 
I^alemant.  The  Relation  of  1649,  p.  37  says:  "  Some  of 
the  Christians  had  entreated  the  Fathers  to  pre-^erve  their 
lives  for  the  glory  of  God,  which  could  have  been  very  easily 
efiFected,  since  at  the  first  alarm  more  than  five  hundred  had 
escaped  with  ease  to  a  place  of  security;  but  their  zeal  would 
not  dlow  them  to  do  this,  and  ;  he  salvation  of  their  flock 
wab  dearer  to  them  than  the  love  of  life.  They  employed 
every  moment  of  their  time  as  the  most  precious  of  their 
whole  lives;  and  during  the  hottest  of  the  combat,  their 
heart  was  all  on  fire  for  the  salvation  of  souls.  One  of  them 
\\  as  at  the  breach  baptizing  the  Catechumens,  the  other  was 
giving  absolution  to  the  Neophytes,  and  both  were  busy  in 
aaimating  the  Christians  to  die  in  sentiments  of  piety,  which 
consoled  them  in  the  midst  of  their  misfortunes. 

An  unconverted  Huron  ^^eeing  things  desperate,  spoke  of 
flight,  but  a  Christian,  named  Stephen  Annaotaha,  the  most 
distinguished  of  the  whole  village  for  his  courage  and  for 
his  exploits  against  the  enemy,  would  not  hear  of  it.  "What!" 
he  exclaimed,  "shall  we  abandon  these  good  Fathers,  who  for 

Huron  woman  whom  he  had  known  on  the  shores  of  her  r.atlve  lake  (Lake 
Huron).  Having' been  sold  from  tribe  to  tribe,  she  bad  reached  the  Interior 
of  Asia.  There,  on  the  steppes  of  Central  Asia,  she  knelt  and  in  thattonjfue, 
which  neither  had  heard  for  years,  the  poor  Huron  woman  confessed  once 
more  to  her  aged  pastor.  Jt  was  this  fact  that  first  led  to  the  knowledge  of 
the  near  approach  of  America  to  Asia.  (Shea,  "Cath.  Missions,"  who  cites- 
Charlevoix,  Ch.  v,  p.  46.) 


159 

our  snkes  have  exposed  their  own  lives?  The  love  they 
have  for  our  salvation  will  be  the  cause  of  their  death ;  there 
is  no  longer  time  for  them  to  fly  across  the  snows,  let  us 
then  die  with  them  and  in  their  company''  we  will  go  to 
heaven."  This  chief  had  made  a  general  confession  but  a 
few  days  before,  having  had  a  presentiment  of  the  threatened 
danger,  and  having  said  that  he  wished  death  to  find  him 
ripe  for  heaven.  And  in  effect  he  and  many  other  Christians 
displayed  so  much  fervor,  that  we  can  never  sufficiently  bless 
the  ways  of  God  towards  his  elect,  over  whom  his  providence 
watches  with  love  at  every  moment,  in  life  and  in  death. 
This  whole  multitude  of  Christians  fell,  for  the  most  part, 
alive  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy  and  with  them  our  two 
Fathers,  the  pastors  of  that  church.  They  were  not  killed 
immediately;  God  reserved  for  them  more  glorious  crowns. 

From  the  narrative  of  some  fugitive  Huron  captives, 
who  had  been  eye-witnesses  of  all  the  circumstances  attend- 
ing their  death,  the  following  details  are  gathered:  "  Imme- 
diately after  their  capture,  the  Fathers  were  both  stripped  of 
their  clothing,  their  finger-nails  were  torn  out  by  the  roots, 
and  they  were  borne  in  savage  triumph  to  the  village  of  St. 
Ignatius,  which  had  been  taken  on  the  same  morning.  On 
entering  its  gates  they  both  received  a  shower  of  blows  on 
their  shoulders,  loins  and  stomach — no  part  of  their  exposed 
bodies  escaping  contumely.  Father  de  Brebeuf,  though 
almost  sinking  under  these  cruel  blows,  and  fainting  from 
agony  and  loss  of  blood,  still  lost  not  courage,  but  his  eye 
kindling  with  fire,  he  addressed  the  Christian  Hurons,  who 
were  his  fellow-captives,  in  the  following  language: 

"  My  children  !  Let  us  lift  up  our  eyes  to  heaven  in  the 
midst  of  our  sufferings;  let  us  remember  that  God  is  a  wit- 
ness of  our  torments,  and  He  will  soon  be  our  reward  exceed- 
ingly great.  Let  us  die  in  the  faith,  and  trust  in  his  goodness 
for  the  fulfillment  of  his  promises.  I  feel  more  for  you  than 
for  myself;  but  bear  with  courage  the  few  torments  which 
yet  remain;  they  will  all  terminate  with  our  lives;  the  glory 
which  will  follow  them  will  have  no  end!"  "Echon,"  such 
was  his  Huron  name,  "Echon,"  they  replied,  "our  hope 
shall  be  in  heaven,  while  our  bodies  are  suffer'  "  on  earth, 
jPray  to  God  for  us,  that  He  may  grant  us  merv./;  we  will 
invoke  Him  even  until  death." 


f  tf-1' 


160 


Some  pagan  Hurons,  who  had  proved  ohstinate  under  the 
preaching  of  the  missionaries,  and  who,  having  been  long 
before  taken  captive  by  the  Iroquois,  had  become  naturalized 
among  them,  were  filled  with  fiendish  hatred  at  the  noble 
freedom  with  which  the  captive  father  spoke.  They  rushed 
upon  him  and  Father  Lalemant  and  boumi  them  each  to  a 
stake.  The  hands  of  de  Brebeuf  were  cut  off,  while  Lale- 
mant's  flesh  quivered  with  the  awls  and  pointed  irons  thrust 
into  every  part  of  his  body.  This  did  not  suffice;  a  fire 
kindled  near  soon  reddened  their  hatchets,  ?>nd  these  they 
forced  under  the  armpits  and  between  the  thighs  of  the 
sufferers,  while  to  de  Brebeuf  they  gave  a  collar  of  those 
burning  weapons,  and  there  the  missionaries  stood  with  those 
glowing  irons  seething  and  consuming  to  their  very  vitals. 

"  In  the  midst  of  his  torments,  Father  Gabriel  Lalemant 
raised  his  eyes  to  heaven,  joining  his  hands  from  time  to 
time,  and  sending  forth  sighs  to  God,  whom  he  invoked  to 
his  succor.  Father  John  de  Brebeuf,  with  the  apparent  in- 
sensibility of  a  rock,  heedless  alike  of  fire  and  flame,  con- 
tinued in  profound  silence,  withoui  once  venting  a  sigh  or 
murmur,  which  astonished  even  his  executions:  without 
doubt  his  heart  was  then  sweetly  reposing  in  the  bosom  of 
God.  After  a  brief  time,  as  if  returning  to  himself,  he 
preached  to  those  infidels,  and  more  especially  to  a  good 
number  of  Christian  captives,  who  showed  compassion  for 
his  sufi'erings.  His  cruel  executionere,  indignant  at  his  zeal, 
in  order  to  prevent  his  speaking  any  more  of  God,  struck 
him  on  the  mouth,  cut  off"  his  nose  and  tore  away  his  lips, 
but  his  blood  spoke  more  eloquently  than  his  lips,  and  his 
heart  not  yet  having  been  torn  out,  his  tongue  did  not  fail  to 
aid  him  in  recounting  the  mercies  of  God  in  the  midst  of 
his  torments  and  in  animating  more  than  ever  his  Christian 
fellow-captives.  In  derision  of  baptism,  which  these  good 
Fathers  had  so  charitably  administered  at  the  breach  and  in 
the  hottest  of  the  contest,  those  barbarous  enemies  of  the 
faith  bethought  themselves  of  baptizing  them  with  boiling 
water.  More  than  twice  or  thrice  their  whole  body  was 
inundated  with  the  scalding  element,  the  infidels  accompany- 
ing the  ablution  with  heartless  jeers:  'We  baptize  you  that 
you  may  be  happy  in  heaven,  for  without  baptism  no  one 
can  be  saved.'  Others  said,  mocking.  *We  treat  you  as 
friends,  for  we  will  be  the  cause  of  your  greater  happiness; 


161 


lis 
Ito 
lof 

i,n 

)d 
lin 
Ihe 

pg 

]as 

y- 

lat 
ine 

las 
js; 


thank  us  for  our  f^ood  offices,  for  the  more  you  suffer,  the 
more  God  will  reward  you.' '' 

"  The  mere  their  torments  were  redoubled,  the  more  did 
the  Fathers  pray,  that  their  sins  might  not  be  the  cause  of 
the  reprobation  of  these  blinded  infidels,  whom  they  forgave 

with   all  their  hearts When  they   were  attached  to 

the  stakes  where  they  endured  all  these  tortures  and  where 
they  were  to  die,  they  fell  on  thei'  es,  embraced  the  wood 
with  joy  and  kissed  it  fervently  ..^  >e  cherished  object  of 
their  sighs  and  prayers  and  as  a  v^  ■  •f'.in  and  last  pledge  of 
their  eternal  salvation.  They  continued  in  prayer  much  long- 
er than  pleased  their  barbarous  tormentors.  They  plucked 
out  the  eyes  of  Father  Gabriel  Lai^.mant,  and  applied  red-hot 
coals  to  the  orifices  from  which  they  had  been  torn.  Their 
sufferings  did  not  t^ke  place  at  the  same  time.  Father  John 
de  Brebeuf  suffered  for  about  three  hours  and  expired  at  four 
o'clock  in  the  evening  of  the  16th  of  March,  the  same  day  on 
which  the  village  of  St.  Ignatius  had  been  captured.  Father 
Gabriel  Lalemant  suffered  longer;  from  six  o'clock  of  that 
evening  until  about  nine  o'clock  of  the  following  day,  the 
17th  of  March.  Before  their  doath  the  hearts  of  both  were 
torn  out,  an  incision  having  been  made  for  this  purpose  under 
the  breast,  and  those  barbarians  drank  their  blood  while  it 

was  still  warm While  they  were  yet  living,  pieces  of 

flesh  were  cut  from  their  thighs,  arms  and  legs,  which  were 
roasted  and  eaten  before  their  eyes  !  Their  bodies  had  been 
gashed  all  over,  and  to  increase  their  torments,  red-hot  tom- 
ahawks were  run  along  the  deep  incisions.  Father  John  de 
Brebeuf  had  been  already  scalped,  his  feet  had  been  cut  off", 
and  his  thighs  denuded  to  the  very  bone,  and  one  of  his 
cheeks  had  been  divided  by  a  stroke  of  the  tomahawk. 
Father  Gabriel  Lalemant  had  also  received  a  stroke  of  the 
murderous  weapon  on  his  left  ear,  and  the  instrument  had 
sunk  deep  into  his  skull,  laying  bare  the  brain  ;  we  could  find 
no  part  of  his  body,  from  head  to  foot,  which  had  not  been 
roasted,  even  while  he  was  living.  Their  very  tongues  were 
roasted,  burning  fire-brands  and  bunches  of  bark  having  been 
repeatedly  thrust  into  iheir  moviths  to  prevent  them  from 
invoking  while  dying,  the  name  and  succor  of  Him,  for  whose 
love  they  were  enduring  all  these  torments." 

On  the  morning  of  the  19th  of  March  the  Iroquois  suddenly 
fled,  being  for  some  unaccountable  reason  seized  with  a  sudden 


iXi 


162 

panic.     Such  prisoners  as  they  coul'^not  or  would  not  take 
along,  they  doomed  to  a  horrible  de^h. 

"As  for  the  prisoners,  whom  they  hsid  doomed  to  immediate 
death,  they  bound  them  to  pine  stakes  driven  into  the  earth 
in  the  different  cabins,  to  which,  in  leaving  the  village,  they 
set  fire  on  all  sides,  taking  delight  on  their  departure  at  the 
piteous  cries  of  those  poor  victims,  perishing  in  the  midst  of 
flames,  of  infants  roasted  by  the  side  of  their  mothers,  and  of 
husbands,  who  saw  their  wives  roasted  near  them." 

On  the  morning  of  the  flight  of  the  Iroquois,  the  Jesuit 
'Fathers  of  the  village  of  St.  Mary's  having  through  some 
Huron  captives  who  had  escaped,  received  intelligence  of 
the  death  of  Fathers  de  Brebeuf  and  Lalemant,  sent  one  of 
their  number  with  seven  Frenchmen  as  an  escort,  to  find  and 
bring  back  their  mortal  remains.  The  messengers  on  reach- 
ing the  spot,  where  the  martyrdom  of  these  illustrious  mis- 
sionaries had  been  consummated,witnessed  a  scene  which  froze 
their  very  souls  with  horror.  Everything  betokened  the  fiend- 
ish barbarity  of  the  merciless  Iroquois.  Having  reverently 
gathered  up  the  mangled  remains  of  the  two  Fathers,  they 
brought  them  back  to  the  Mission  of  St.  Mary's,  where  they 
were  solemnly  interred  on  the  21st  of  March,  which  fell  on  a 
Sunday.  At  the  funeral  all  were  "filled  with  so  much  conso- 
lation and  with  sentiments  of  a  devotion  so  tender,  that 
every  one  ardently  desired,  rather  than  feared,  a  similar  death; 
and  all  would  have  deemed  themselves  thrice  happy,  >  have 
obtained  from  God  the  grace  of  shedding  their  blood  and 
laying  down  their  lives  under  similar  circumstn  ces.  No 
Oxie  could  bring  himself  to  pray  to  God  for  their  rep  se,  as  if 
they  stood  in  need  of  prayer  ;  but  all  raised  their  1  arts  to 
Heaven,  where  they  had  no  doubt  the  souls  of  the  dt  arted 
already  were."^ 


Glorious  MARTYRoo^r  of  Father  Jogues,  S.  J. 

Father  Isaac  Jogues,  the  first  missionary  to  plant  the  cross 
on  Michigan  soil  in  1642,  was  born  in  Orleans,  France,  of  a 
highly  respectable  family  on  the  10th  of  January,  1607.  In 
October,  1624,  he  entered  the  Society  of  Jesus  at  Rouen. 

1    "EelHtions,"  pp.  37-53.    We  cite  the  Relations  of  1619,  as  quoted  in  Spald- 
ing's "MlBcellanea,"  pp.  833-34. 


1 


163 

After  his  ordination  in  1636  he  was  sent  to  Canada  and 
labored  for  some  years  in  the  Huron  country.  In  1642  he 
and  Father  Ravmbault  visited  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  Mich.,  where 
they  were  well  received  by  the  two  thousand  Indians  as- 
sembled there  to  celebrate  the  feast  of  the  dead.  Father 
Jogues  then  went  to  Quebec  and  on  his  way  back  to  the 
Huron  country,  the  party,  with  whom  he  was  traveling,  fell 
into  a  Mohawk  ambuscade.  The  Father  might  have  escaped, 
but  seeinj^  some  captives  in  charge  of  a  few  Mohawks,  join- 
ing them  he  surrendered  himself  in  order  to  assist  the 
wounded  and  dying.  Besides  Father  Jogues  there  were  two 
Frenchmen  captured,  Couture  and  Rene  Goupil,  and  some 
twenty  Hurons.  Couture  had  slain  in  the  engagement  a 
chief  and  was,  therefore,  to  be  tortured.  He  was  stripped,, 
beaten,  and  mangled.  Father  Jogues,  who  consoled  him, 
was  beaten  till  he  fell  senseless,  his  nails  torn  out,  and  the 
fingers  gnawed  to  the  very  bone. 

The  Mohawks  then  started  for  their  village,  inflicting  all 
manner  of  cruelty  upon  their  defenseless  captives.  Sailing 
through  Lake  Cham  plain,  they  descried  another  party  of  their 
countrymen  on  an  island,  and  the  captives  were  made  to  run 
the  gauntlet.  The  missionary  sank  under  the  clubs  and  iron 
rods.  "God  alone,"  he  said,  "for  whose  love  and  glory  it  is 
sweet  and  glorious  to  suffer,  can  tell  what  cruelties  they 
perpetrated  on  me  then."  He  was  dragged  to  thv3  scaffold, 
bruised  and  bi  rnt;  most  of  his  remaining  nails  were  torn  out 
and  his  hands  so  dislocated,  that  they  never  recovered  their 
natural  shape.  On  the  14th  of  August  they  reached  the  first 
Mohawk  village,  where  again  th«y  were  made  to  run  the 
gauntlet,  "this  narrow  path  to  paradise,"  amid  blows  of  clubs 
and  iron  rods,  until  they  reached  the  scaffold,  where  new 
tortures  awaited  them.  The  missionary's  left  thumb  was 
hacked  off  by  an  Algonquin  slave ;  none  of  the  party  escaped 
torture.  At  night  they  were  tied  to  the  ground,  with  legs 
and  arms  extended,  writhing  in  pain,  vainly  trying  to  escape 
the  hot  coals  thrown  on  them  by  the  children.  In  two  other 
villages  the  captives  were  treated  in  the  same  cruel  manner. 
In  a  third  village  he  succeeded  in  baptizing  two  Huron  cate- 
chumens with  a  few  drops  of  dew  found  on  a  corn-staiK 
thrown  to  him  by  an  Indian.  They  were  all  condemned  to 
death,  but  on  further  consideration  the  Mohawks  reversed 


164 

their  first  decision,  sparing  the  French  prisoners  and  con- 
demning of  the  Hurons  only  three  to  death. 

The  charitable  Hollanders  at  Fort  Orange  raised  a  sum  of 
money  to  redeem  Father  Jogues  and  his  faithful  attendant 
Rene  Goupil,  but  their  efiforts  were  vain.  Soon  after  a  war 
party  came  in  that  had  been  repulsed  in  an  attack  on  the 
French.  They  determined  to  vent  their  rage  upon  their 
French  captives.  Rene  Goupil  had  been  seen  to  make  the 
sign  of  the  cross  on  the  forehead  of  a  child  and,  as  the  Hol- 
landers had  told  the  Mohawks  that  the  sign  was  not  good, 
the  master  of  the  cabin  ordered  Rene  Goupil  to  be  put  to 
death.  Two  young  braves  set  out  and  meeting  Jogues  and 
Rene  ordered  them  to  return  to  the  village.  Conscious  that 
death  was  nigh,  they  began  to  say  their  beads,  and  arriving 
at  the  palisade  one  of  the  Mohawks  buried  his  tomahawk 
deep  in  the  head  of  Rene  Goupil.  Pronouncing  the  holy 
name  of  Jesus,  he  fell  to  the  ground.  Father  Jogues  think- 
ing that  his  hour  too  had  come,  knelt  at  his  side  to  share  his 
fate.  They  dragged  him  off  trom  his  companion's  body, 
whom  the  two  Indians  killed  with  repeated  blows  of  their 
hatchets. 

Father  Jogues  thus  entirely  alone  among  his  savage  cap- 
tors, devoted  his  leisure  moments  to  the  Huron  captives. 
When  unfortunate  prisoners  were  brought  in  to  die,  he  went 
to  meet  them,  instructed,  baptized,  or  confessed  them,  some- 
times amid  the  very  flames,  whilst  they  were  being  burnt  at 
the  stake,  for  he  always  assisted  them  in  death.  His  Mohawk 
captors  took  him  to  their  hunting  grounds  and  made  him  do 
the  work  of  their  slaves  and  squaws.  When  his  work  was 
done,  he  would  roam  about  in  the  woods  chanting  psalms 
from  memory  or  praying  before  the  sign  of  the  cross  carved 
on  some  tree. 

Several  times  he  was  taken  to  the  HoUandish  settlement 
of  Rensselaerswyk,  now  Albany,  where  in  August,  1643,  he 
wrote  to  his  provincial,  giving  an  account  of  his  captivity 
and  sufferings.  There  he  finally  succeeded  to  escape  by  the 
aid  of  the  HoUandish  settlers,  especially  Van  Curler;  they 
even  periled  their  own  lives  in  trying  to  deliver  him  from 
his  masters,  who,  having  been  defeated  before  Fort  Richelieu, 
bad  determined  to  put  him  to  death.  The  settlers  succeeded 
in  appeasing  the  wrath  of  his  enemies  by  presents  and  he 
was  conveyed  to  New  Amsterdam,  now  New  York,  where  he 


165 


waB  most  kindly  treated  by  Governor  Kieft  and  Domini© 
Megapolensis,  and  in  November,  1643,  sailed  for  Europe.  He 
was  driven  on  the  coast  of  England  and  robbed  of  every- 
thing. Reaching  France  in  a  wretched  plight,  he  was  soon 
an  object  of  general  admiration.  Pope  Innocent  XI.  gave 
him  permission  to  say  Mass  with  his  mutilated  hands,  say- 
ing: "It  were  unjust  that  a  martyr  of  Christ  should  not  drink 
the  blood  of  Christ." 

He  soon  returned  to  Canada,  in  1645,  peace  having  been 
concluded  between  the  Mohawk  and  the  French,  a  new  mis- 
sion was  projected  among  them.  "  We  have  called  it,"  says 
the  Superior,  ''  the  Mission  of  the  Martyrs,  and  with  reason, 
since  we  establish  it  among  the  very  men  who  have  made 
the  gospel-laborers  suffer  so  much,  and  among  whom  great 
pains  and  hardships  must  still  be  expected.  Good  Ken^ 
Goupil  has  already  met  death  in  their  midst,  and  if  it  be 
lawful  to  make  conjectures  in  things,  which  seem  so  prob- 
able, it  is  to  be  believed  that  our  projects  against  the  empire 
of  Satan  will  not  bear  fruit  till  watered  with  the  blood  of 
some  other  martyrs." 

On  the  16th  of  May,  1646,  Father  Jogues,  with  the  Sieur 
Bourdon,  set  out  for  the  Mohawk  country.  At  Fort  Orange 
he  stopped  to  thank  his  kind  deliverers,  anrl  then  proceeded 
to  the  first  Mohawk  town,  called  Onewyiure.  There  he  and 
his  companion  were  well  received  and  peace  concluded. 
They  then  returned  to  Quebec,  and  after  a  lew  days  of  rest, 
Father  Jogues  started  to  return  to  his  mission.  Although 
rumors  of  war  were  afloat,  the  devoted  missionary  pushed 
on.  He  had,  however,  a  presentiment  of  his  end.  "Iboet 
non  redibo,"  are  the  prophetic  words  of  his  last  letter  :  "  I 
shall  go,  but  I  shall  not  return."  His  Huron  companions 
grjidualiy  forsook  him,  but  he  kept  on  with  his  faithful  com- 
panion, John  Lalande.  "  I  shall  be  too  iiappy,"  he  said,  "if 
our  Lord  deign  to  complete  the  sacrifice  where  he  has  begun 
it,  and  make  thie  few  drops  of  my  blood  an  earnest  ol  what 
I  would  give  Hm  frrom  every  vein  of  my  body  and  heart." 

Meeting  with  a  party  of  Mohawks  painted  for  war,  the 
Father  and  his  companion  were  stripped  and  bound.  On 
the  17th  of  October,  1646,  Father  Jogues  again  entered  Gan- 
dawague,  the  place  of  his  former  captivity.  Entering  the 
village,  he  was  received  with  blows  of  clubs  arHI  iists.  He 
was  not  treated  as  a  common  prisoner  of  war.    He  was  t6 


111 


166 

die  as  a  sorcerer,  for  in  their  superstition  they  attributed  to 
his  chest,  with  its  vestments  and  chapel  service,  a  pestilential 
fever  that  ravaged  their  cabins,  and  the  swarm  of  caterpillars 
that  devoured  their  crops.  "  You  shall  die  tomorrow  !"  said 
they,  "  Fear  not !  You  shall  not  be  burned  ;  you  shall  both 
die  under  our  hatchets,  and  your  heads  shall  be  fixed  on  the 
palisade,  that  your  brethren  may  see  them,  when  we  bring 
them  in  captive."  In  vain  did  Father  Jogues  endeavor  to 
show  them  the  injustice  of  treating  him  as  an  enemy.  Deaf 
to  all  reason,  they  began  the  butchery  by  slicing  off"  the  flesh 
from  his  arms  and  back,  crying  :  "  Let  us  see  whether  this 
white  flesh  is  that  of  an  Otkon"  (sorcerer).  "I  am  but  a 
man  like  yourselves,"  replied  the  fearless  confessor  of  Christ, 
"though  I  fear  not  death  nor  your  tortures.  I  know  not 
why  you  put  me  to  death.  I  have  come  to  your  country  to 
preserve  peace  and  strengthen  the  land  and  to  show  you  the 
way  to  heaven,  and  you  treat  me  like  a  dog.  Dread  the 
vengeance  of  the  Master  of  life." 

A  council  of  the  Oyanders  was  called  :  the  Bear  family 
clamored  for  his  blood  ;  but  the  Wolf  and  Tortoise  opposed 
them  firmly,  and  it  was  resolved  to  spare  his  life.  It  was 
too  late.  While- the  council  was  sitting  on  the  night  of  the 
18th  October,  some  of  the  Bear-clan  earae  to  invite  him  to 
sup  with  them  ;  he  rose  to  follow,  but  scarcely  had  his 
shadow  darkened  the  door  of  his  perfidious  host,  when  an 
Indian,  concealed  within,  sprang  forward,  and  with  a  single 
blow  stretched  him  lifeless  on  the  ground.  The  generous 
arm  of  Kiotsaeton  was  raised  to  save  him,  but,  though 
deeply  wounded,  did  not  arrest  the  blow.  Father  Jogues 
fell  dead ;  his  missionary  toil  was  ended.  His  companion 
shared  his  fate,  and  the  rising  sun  beheld  their  heads  fixed 
on  the  north  palisade,  while  their  bodies  were  flung  into  the 
neighboring  stream.  After  his  death  miracles  were  attri- 
buted to  him  and  duly  attested  ;  and  the  missionaries  who, 
at  a  later  date,  saw  a  fervent  church  arise  at  the  place  of  his 
glorious  death,  and  those  who  saw  it  produce  that  holy 
virgin,  Catharine  Tegahkwita,  ascribed  these  wonders  of 
grace  only  to  his  blood. 

Steps  have  been  taken  looking  towards  the  beatification 
and  canonization  of  Father  Jogues  and  the  Iroquois  virgin, 
Catherine  Tegahkwita.* 

I    Shea,  "  Catholic  Missions,"  pp.  306-208. 


167 


ition 
irgin, 


Heroic  death  of  Father  Garnier,  S.  T. 

Father  Charles  Garnier  was  born  in  Paris,  in  1605,  of  an 
■eminent  and  piou»  family.  He  entered  the  Society  of  Jesus 
on  the  5th  of  September,  1624.  Sent  to  Canada  in  1636,  he 
was  constantly  on  the  Huron  missions,  from  the  11th  of  Sep- 
tember of  that  year  till  his  death  on  the  7th  of  December, ' 
1649.  He  seemed  to  have  been  born  and  to  live  only  for  the 
conversion  of  his  Indians  ;  of  nothing  else  did  he  think  or 
converse.  Esteemed  by  his  companions  as  a  saint,  his 
letters,  still  extant,  bear  testimony  to  his  eminent  love  of 
God  and  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  souls,  as  well  as  his  entire 
disengagement  from  earthly  things.  As  a  Huron  scholar  he 
was  next  to  de  Brebeuf,  the  best  in  the  whole  body  of  mis- 
sionaries. 

"  On  the  7th  of  December,  1649,  a  large  Iroquois  force 
burst  upon  the  Huron  town  of  EUiarita,  or  St.  John,  where 
Father  Garnier  was  stationed.  On  that  day  the  braves  of 
that  town,  tired  of  waiting  for  the  enemy,  had  set  out  to  meet 
them,  but  unfortunately  had  taken  a  wrong  direction.  The 
Iroquois,  fearful  of  being  surprised  by  the  returning  Hurons, 
cut  down  all  without  mercy,  and  fired  the  place.  Father 
Garnier  was  everywhere  exhorting,  consoling,  shriving, 
baptizing  ;  wherever  a  wounded  Indian  lay,  he  rushed  to 
gather  his  dying  words  ;  wherever  a  sick  person  or  child  met 
his  eye,  he  hastened  to  confer  baptism.  While  thus,  re- 
gardless of  danger,  he  listened  only  to  the  call  of  duty,  he 
fell  mortally  wounded  by  two  musket  balls;  and  the  Iro- 
quois, stripping  him  of  his  habit,  hurried  on.  Stunned  by 
the  pain,  he  lay  a  moment  there,  then  clasping  his  hands  in 
prayer,  prepared  to  die  ;  but  as  he  writhed  in  the  agony  of 
death,  he  beheld  a  wounded  Tionontate  Eluron  some  paces 
from  him.  The  sight  revived  him  ;  forgetful  of  his  own 
state,  he  remembered  only  that  he  was  a  priest,  and  rallying 
all  his  strength  by  two  efforts,  rises  to  his  feet  and  endeavors 
to  walk,  but  after  a  few  stagering  steps  falls  heavily  to  the 
ground.  Still  mindful  only  of  duty,  he  dragged  himself  to 
the  wounded  man,  and,  while  giving  him  the  last  absolution, 
fell  over  him  a  corpse;  another  Iroquois  had  driven  a  toma- 
hawk into  his  skull. 

"Father  Garreau  and  Grelon  hastened  from  the  other 
town  and  buried,  amid  the  ruins  of  his  church,  the  body  of 


168 

the  holy  missionary,  the  bf loved  Oracha  of  the  natives,  who 
won  by  his  mild  and  gentle  manners,  entire  devotion  to  them 
and  their  good,  his  forgetfulness  of  all  that  was  not  connected 
with  their  salvation,  no  less  than  his  perfect  knowledge  of 
their  language  and  manners  had  long  considered  him  less  a 
Frenchman  than  an  Indian,  or  a  being  of  another  world  sent 
to  assume  the  form."  * 


The  Three  Missionary  Martyrs  of  Wisconsin. 

The  three  martyred  missionaries  referred  to,  are  Father 
Menard,  who  perished  at  the  headwaters  of  Black  River,  Wis- 
consin, probably  by  the  hand  of  some  roving  Indian,  and 
two  Jesuit  Fathers  said  to  have  been  put  to  death  at  the 
place  where  Depere  now  stands.  Some  claim  that  the  word 
Depere  is  a  corruption  of  "Deux  Peres,  Two  Fathers,"  that 
name  having  been  given  to  the  town  as  being  the  spot  where 
they  were  put  to  death. 

John  Gilmary  Shea,  a  Catholic  historian,  second  to  none 
in  the  United  States,  in  his  justly  celebrated  work,  "History 
of  the  Catholic  Missions  among  the  Indian  Tribes  of  the 
United  States" — a  work  which  we  have  freely  used  in  the 
preparation  of  this  little  volume — p.  377,  speaking  of  the  year 
1765,  says:  "  In  this  year  two  Jesuit  missionaries  are  said 
to  have  been  put  to  death  on  an  eminence  by  a  rapid  on  the 
Fox  River,  thence  called  "LeRapide  des  Peres,"  a  name  pre- 
served in  the  town  of  Depere.  This  may  be  true,  but  no 
trace  of  the  fact  is  to  be  found  in  any  work  of  the  time.  See 
Ann.  Prop.  II,  121." 

In  the  annals  of  the  Leopoldine  Stiftung,  amml  VII,  p.  34, 
Father  Haetscher,  C.  S.  S.  R.,  writes  from  Green  Bay,  under 
date  of  September  2, 1833.  "Speaking  of  the  Fox  River,  I  must 
remark  that  I  have  seen  in  a  certain  place  there  the  remains 
of  a  Jesuit  monastery  that  formerly  stood  there,  which  has 
given  to  the  rapids  of  the  river  there  the  name  "  Rapide  des 
Peres,"  where  I  found  in  the  ruins  a  small  silver  cross.  Theje 
good  Fathers  were  martyred  there  by  the  savages.  They  were 
attacked  by  the  relatives  of  the  Indians,  converted  by  them, 
bound  to  stakes  and  boiling  water  poured  over  their  heads, 

1    Shea,  "Catholic  Missions,"  p.  193. 


lf)9 

in  order,  as  the  savageB  mockingly  said,  to  baptize  them  too." 
No  date  given. 

Father  Van  den  Broek,  who  succeeded  Fathers  Saenderl 
and  Haetscher,  C.  S.  S.  R.,  as  pastor  of  the  Catholic  congre- 
gation of  Green  Bay,  in  1834,  speaking  of  a  robbery  com- 
mitted by  some  drunken  soldiers  of  Fort  Howard,  in  his 
church,  on  the  night  of  Holy  Saturday,  1838,  says:  ''In  the 
meanwhile  the  thieves  were  busy  robbing  everything  in  the 
church,  as  for  instance,  a  silver  monstrance^  a  cihorium,  and 
water-cruets,  eic.^^ In  a  foot-note  he  says:  "These  were  pre- 
cious objects,  which  nad  been  found  at  Rapides  des  Peres  in 
the  ground  and  which  hud  been  concealed  there  when  the  mis- 
sionary was  killed  by  the  Indians.  One  hundred  and  fifty  years 
ago  (this  was  written  in  1847*)  there  was  a  Jesuit  mission 
and  chapel  there.  But  after  this  occurrence  no  priest  has 
been  seen  there."  Elsewhere  he  refers  to  the  same  fact,  say- 
ing that  in  the  "Godsdienstoriend,*'  1843,  p.  260,  the  origin 
of  the  name,  Rapides  des  Peres,  is  explained. 

In  the  monthly  magazine,  "Alte  una  Neue  Welt,"  No.  6, 
1868,  p.  134,  Rev.  J.  V.  Badin,  who  came  to  visit  the  Green 
Bay  mission,  May  the  12th,  1825,  says:  "Although  the  in- 
habitants of  Green  Bay  form  a  sample  of  all  colors,  and 
although  they  are  for  the  most  part  awfully  ugly-looking  and 
rude  in  their  manners,  still  morals  are  much  purer  here  than 
elsewhere.  It  would  only  require  two  Jesuits  to  take  the 
place  of  the  two  Fathers  who  were  murdered  here  about 
sixty  yeare  ago  (i.  e.  1765)  or  rather  who  were  martyred  by 
the  hands  of  cruel  savages.  I  passed  a  rapid  in  the  Fox 
River,  still  called  "  Rapide  des  Peres,"  opposite  to  which  is 
the  bluff  (or  hill)  where  both  these  martyrs  have  shed  their 
blood  for  Jesus  Christ." 

By  the  kindness  of  Father  Kersten,  a  manuscript  of  Father 
Hypp  Hoffen,  deceased,  was  sent  to  me,  in  which  he  writes: 
"  In  1765  two  Jesuit  missionaries,  whose  names  tradition  has 
not  preserved,  were  killed  on  the  banks  of  the  Fox  River  near 
the  place,  where,  in  1676,  the  church  and  residence  of  their 
predecessors  had  been  erected.  Although  no  work  of  that 
time  mentions  this  fad,  the  old  inhabitants  believe  it  to  be  certain 
and  show  the  ground  that  was  soaked  with  the  blood  of  these 
martyrs.     Margaret  Okeewah,  a  one  hundred  year  old  Indian 

1    "  Reize  naar  Noord-Amerika"  etc.,  door  den  Wel-Eerwaarden  Heer  T.  J. 
Van  den  Broek  te  Amsterdam,  by  Langenhuysen,  1847. 


I      »3 


170 

woman,  who  died  February  13,  18G8,  ascertained  the  fact, 
Haying  that  her  parents  often  talked  to  her  about  two  "Black- 
gowns"  whom  the  Indians  had  massacred,  because  they  had 
cast  the  lot  (an  evil  charm)  on  the  children  of  the  tribe, 
which  made  them  all  die."  It  seems  to  be  the  old  super- 
stitious fear  of  Imptism  which  the  Indians  regarded  as  an 
evil  charm  for  the  destruction  of  their  children. 

In  the  "  Memoires "  of  AugUHiin  Grignon  of  Butte  des 
Morts,  Wis.  (Wis,  Hist.  Coll.,  vol.  Ill),  we  find  that  his  great- 
grandfather, on  his  mother's  side,  Sieur  Augustin  de  Lang- 
lade, born  in  France  of  a  noble  family  about  1695,  came  with 
his  son,  Charles  de  Langlade,  born  in  Mackinaw  in  1729,  to 
Green  Bny  between  1744-46.  Tiiey  may  be  called  the 
founders  of  that  city.  Mr.  (Irignon's  mother,  a  daughter  of 
Charles  de  Langlade,  was  born  in  Green  Bay  in  1763.  Sieur 
AuguBtin  de  Langlade  died  in  Green  Bay  about  1771;  his  son, 
Chai  de  Langlade,  died  ther*'  in  1800,  and  Charles'  wife, 
Auc;ubtin  Grignon's  mother,  died  in  1818.  A.  Grignon  was 
born  in  Green  Bay,  June  27,  1780,  and  he  was  still  alive  in 
18.^7.     Hit?  own  recollectiony  go  back  as  far  as  1785. 

Now,  in  the  "Memoires"  lie  nowhere  speaks  of  any  mis- 
sionaries having  been  killed  in  the  vicinity  of  Green  Bay, 
though  h©  mentions  a  thousand  little  incidents  in  the  life  of 
his  maternal  grandfather.  Charles  de  Langlade,  before  and  after 
1765,  the  year  when  those  missionaries  are  said  to  have  been 
killed.  From  his  silence  on  the  matter  we  may  pretty  salely 
conclude,  that,  if  missionaries  were  killed  at  Depere,  it  must 
have  occurred  before  the  advent  of  the  first  French  settlers 
in  Green  Bay  in  1745  It  must  have  happened  between 
1721,  the  year  of  Charlevoix'  visit  when  Father  Chardon  was 
stationed  at  Green  Bay,  and  1745,  when  Sieur  Augustin  de 
Langlade  settled  in  Green  Bay.  The  fact  that  Charlevoix 
knew  nothing  about  the  fact  in  question,  would  seem  to  show 
that  the  event  must  have  taken  place  after  his  visit  to  the 
bay  in  1721. 

Moreover,  Augustin  Grignon  remarks:  "i  am  'perfectly  satis- 
fied that  from  the  first  settliufi  in  Green  Bay  in  1745,  till  Father 
Gabriel  Richard,  of  Detroit,  visited  it  in  1820  no  missionaries 
could  have  been  there.^^  He  relates  how  in  1794  his  mother  had 
to  take  her  children  all  the  way  from  Green  Bay  to  Macki- 
naw in  a  birch  canoe  to  have  them  baptized  by  Father  Payet, 
who  had  lately  arrived  at  the  last  named  place.     Hence  we 


171 

think  that  ihe  date  of  said  martyrdom,  1765,  is  not  correct; 
but  we  think  that  the  fact  itself  occurred,  for  there  must 
have  existed  some  reliable  tradition  pon  wl.  '^h  the  storv 
of  the  martyi'doni  of  these  priests,  as  given  above,  is  founded. 
T?lu  Hilence  o,  cotemporary  writers  does  not  disprove  the 
fact,  for  the  nubc^ionai-y  accounts  between  1679  and  182(J  are 
very  meagre  and  incomplete.  Moreover,  the  Foxes  and  Sacs 
were  of  old  enemies  of  the  French,  with  whom  they  had  sev- 
eral wars,  one  in  1728,  and  another  in  1746  under  Morand, 
when  they  were  defeated  at  Butte  des  Morts.  It  ma^'  easily 
have  happened  that  the  French  miRsiouMries  fell  mto  the 
hands  of  the  F<xes  and  were  barbarously  murdered  by 
them,  partly  out  of  hatred  of  the  religion  they  preached,  and 
partly  out  of  hatred  of  the  nation  they  belonged  to.  The  fact 
of  the  monstrance  bein^  found  buried  in  the  ground  corrob- 
orates this  view  very  strongly,  for  most  likely  it  was  hastily 
buried  at  an  unexpected  attack  made  on  the  village,  and  very 
probably  there  and  then  the  Fathers  were  captured  and  put 
to  death  by  the  victorious  Foxes,  the  same  as  de  l>i  ebeuf  and 
Lalemaiit  had  been  murdered  under  similar  circumstances. 


'ih  *%a 


^ ;.  i 


Grosseilliers  and  Radisson,  the  Pioneers  of  the 

Northwest. 

The  "Relation"  of  1660,  p.  12,  does  not  give  the  namt^s  of 
the  two  Frenchmen,  who  arrived  with  the  Ottawa  flotilla  in 
1660  at  Three  Rivers.  In  vol.  V,  Minn.  Hist.  Coll.,  p.  401, 
two  Frenchmen  are  mentioned  as  the  earliest  explorers  of 
Minnesota,  namely,  Medar<I  Chouart,  called  Sieur  des  Gros- 
seilliers, and  his  brother-in-law,  Pierre  d'Esprit,  the  Sieur 
Radisson.  They  visited  the  Tionnontate  Hurons  at  the 
headwaters  of  Black  River,  Wis.,  and  the  Dacotah  oi  Sioux 
in  the  Mille  Lues  region  of  Minnesota.  They  spent  the  spring 
and  early  part  of  summer  on  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Su- 
perior. They  are  the  identical  Frenchmen  spoken  of  in  the 
"Relation"  of  1660.  Perhaps  they  are  also  the  two  French- 
men who  were  ice-bound  on  Madeline  (La  Pointe)  Island  and 
subsequentlv  discovered  in  a  starving  condition  by  some 
Chippewa  Indians  residing  on  the  mainland  where  Bayfield 
now  stands.    "On  the  19th  of  August,  1660,  Grosseilliers,  by 


172 

way  of  the  Ottawa  River,  reached  Montreal  with  three 
hundred  of  the  Upper  Algonquins.  They  had  left  Lake  {Su- 
perior with  one  hundred  canoes,  but  forty  turned  back,  and 
the  value  of  the  peltries  was  200,000  livrea.  In  a  few  days- 
the  furs  wt/e  Hold  and  on  the  28th  of  August,  1660,  Grosseil- 
liers  left  Three  Rivers  and  again  turned  his  face  westward,, 
accompanied  by  six  traders  and  the  rirst  missionary  for  tliat 
region,  the  aged  Menard,  and  his  servant,  Jean  (Juerin.  The 
party  passed  Sault  Ste.  Marie  and  on  the  15th  of  October, 
1660,  were  at  Keweenaw  Bay,  and  here  Father  Menard  spent 
the  winter." 

The  authorities  for  the  above  statements  are  not  clearly 
indicated.  The;  appear  to  be  "  Neill's  History  of  Minne- 
sota," 5tli  edition,  1883,  and  the  "Journal  des  Jesuites,"  par 
M.  M.  les  Abb^-s  Laverdiere  et  Cosgrain,  Quebec. 

The  Chippewa  tradition  in  regard  to  these  two  Frenchmen 
is  given  by  Wm.  W.  Warren  (Minn.  Hist.  Coll.,  vol.  V,  p. 
121-2),  as  follows: 

"One  clear  morning  in  the  early  part  of  winter,  soon  after 
the  islands,  which  are  clustered  in  this  portion  of  Lake  Su- 
perior and  known  as  the  Apostles,  had  been  locked  in  ice,  a 
party  of  young  men  of  the  Ojibways  started  out  from  their 
village  in  the  bay  of  Shag-a-waum-ik-ong  to  go,  as  was  cus- 
tomary, and  spear  fish  through  holes  in  the  ice,  between  the 
island  of  La  Pointe  and  the  main  shore,  this  being  considered 
as  the  best  ground  for  this  mode  of  fishing.  While  engaged 
in  this  8port  they  discovered  a  smoke  arising  from  a  point  of 
the  adjacent  Island,  towards  its  eastern  extremity. 

"  The  island  of  La  Pointe  was  then  totally  unfrequented, 
from  superstitious  fears,  which  had  but  a  short  time  previous 
led  to  itt!  total  evacuation  by  the  tribe,  and  it  was  considered 
an  act  of  the  greatest  hardihood  for  anyone  to  set  foot  on  its 
shores.  The  young  men  returned  home  at  evening  and  re- 
ported the  smoke  which  they  had  seen  arising  from  the 
island,  and  various  were  the  conjectures  of  the  old  people  re- 
specting the  persons,  who  would  dare  to  build  a  fire  on  the 
spirit-haunted  isle.  They  must  be  strangers,  and  the  young 
men  were  directed,  should  they  again  see  the  smoke,  to  go 
and  find  out  who  made  it. 

"  Early  the  next  morning,  again  proceeding  to  their  fish- 
ing-ground, the  young  men  once  more  noticed  the  smoke 
arising  from  the  eastern  end  of  the  unfrequented  island,  and 


173 


led  on  by  curiosity,  they  ran  thither  and  found  a  small  log 
cabin  in  which  they  disco /ered  two  white  men  in  the  last 
stages  of  starvation.  The  young  Ojibways,  filled  with  com- 
passion, carefully  conveyed  them  to  their  village,  whei-e, 
Deing  nourished  with  great  kindness,  their  lives  were  pre- 
served. 

*'  These  two  white  men  had  started  from  Quebec  during 
the  summer  with  a  supply  of  goods,  to  go  and  find  the  Ojib- 
ways, who  every  year  had  brought  rich  pn-cks  of  beaver  to 
the  sea  coast,  notwithstanding  tnat  their  road  was  barred  by 
numerous  parties  of  the  watchful  and  jealous  Iroquois. 
•Coasting  slowly  up  the  southern  shores  of  the  Great  Lake  late 
in  the  fall,  they  had  been  driven  by  the  ice  on  the  unfre- 
quented island,  and  not  discovering  the  vicinity  of  the  Indian 
village,  they  had  been  for  some  time  enduring  the  pangs  of 
hunger.  At  the  time  they  were  found  by  the  young  Indians 
they  had  been  reduced  to  the  extremity  of  roasting  and  eat- 
ing their  woolen  cloth  and  blankets  as  the  last  means  of  sus- 
taining life. 

"  Having  come  provided  with  goods,  they  remained  in  the 
village,  exchanging  their  commodities  for  beaver-skins.  The 
ensuing  spring  a  large  number  of  Ojibways  accompanied 
them  on  their  return  home. 

"From  close  inquiry  and  judging  from  events  which  are 
said  to  have  occurred  about  this  period  of  time,  I  am  dis- 
posed to  believe  that  this  first  visit  of  the  whites  took  place 
.about  two  hundred  years  ago  (this  was  written  in  1852).  It 
is,  at  any  rate,  certain  that  it  happened  a  few  years  prior  to 
the  visit  of  the  "Black-gowns"  mentioned  in  Bancroft's 
history,  and  it  is  one  hundred  and  eighty-four  years  since 
this  well-authenticated  occurrence." 


ish- 

loke 

md 


Nicolas  Perrot's  Account  of  Father  Menard's  Death* 

"Father  Menard  who  had  been  given  to  the  Outaouas 
'(Ottawas)  as  missionary,  accompanied  by  some  Frenchmen, 
who  went  to  that  nation  to  traflSc,  was  abandoned  by 
:all  those  he  had  with  him,  except  one,  who  rendered  him 
iuntil  death  all  the  services  and  help,  which  he  could  expect 

1    "Memoire"  par  Nicolas  Perrot,  pp.  91, 92. 


174 


from  him.  This  Father  followed  the  Outaouas  to  the  lake  of 
the  Illinoets  (Illinois — Lake  Michigan)  and  in  their  fiignt  on 
t)ie  Louisianne  (Mississippi)  as  far  as  above  Black  River.  It 
-yas  there  that  only  one  Frenchman  remained  to  accompany 
this  missionary  and  that  the  others  left  him.  This  French- 
man followed  car^fuUv  the  route  of  the  Outaouas  and  made 
his  portage  wherever  they  had  made  theirs,  never  leaving  the 
river  on  which  they  had  navigated.  One  day  he  found  him- 
self in  a  rapid,  which  carried  him  along  in  his  canoe.  To 
help  him,  the  Father  took  some  of  his  baggage  out  of  the 
canoe  and  did  not  take  the  right  path  to  get  to  him.  He  got 
on  to  a  trail,  much  traveled  by  animals,  and  in  endeavoring 
to  get  back  to  the  right  path,  he  got  entangled  in  a  labarynth 
of  trees  and  went  astray.  The  Frenchman  having  passed 
the  rapids  with  great  difficulty,  awaited  the  good  Father,  and 
as  the  latter  did  not  come,  he  determined  to  go  in  search  of 
him.  He  hallooed  for  him  with  all  his  might  during  several 
days  m  the  woods,  hoping  to  find  him,  but  in  vain.  How- 
ever he  met  on  the  way  a  Saki  (Sac  Indian)  who  was  carrying 
the  kettle  of  the  missionary,  and  who  gave  him  an  account  of 
him  (Menard).  He  assured  him  that  he  had  found  his 
(Menard's)  tracks  far  away  in  the  woods,  but  that  he  had  not 
seen  the  Father.  He  told  him  that  he  had  also  found  the 
tracks  of  several  others  who  were  going  towards  the  country 
of  the  Sioux.  He  even  declared  to  him  that  he  thought  the 
Sioux  perhaps  had  killed  him,  or  that  he  had  been  taken  by 
them.  In  fact,  many  vears  alter,  his  breviarv  and  cassock 
were  found  with  that  tribe,  and  they  used  to  expose  them  at 
their  feasts,  offering  to  them  their  meats." 

The  reader  will  no  doubt  have  noticed  the  discrepancy 
between  the  "  Relation"  and  Ferrot's  ''  Memoire"  in  their 
account  of  Father  Menard's  death.  Perrot  states  that  Father 
Menard  followed  the  Ottawas  (and  Hurons)  in  their  flight  to 
Lake  Michigan  and  thence  to  the  Mississippi  (Louisianne,)  as 
far  as  above  Black  Rivo^.  This  is  evidentlv  a  mistake. 
According  to  the  "  Relation"  of  1663v  Father  Menard  went  to 
Keweenaw  (St.  Theresa)  Bay  in  1660,  and  nine  months  after, 
on  the  13th  of  July,  1661,  started  to  go  to  the  Huron  village  at 
the  headwaters  of  Black  River,  where  he  perished  about  the 
10th  of  August ;  whereas  according  to  Ferrot,  the  Ottawas 
and  Hurons,  with  whom  Father  Menard  is  said  to  have  stayed 
till  they  left  Pelee  Island,  spent  mfne  years  on  said  island^ 


175 


Licy 
leir 
her 
to 
)  as 
ike. 

tto 

ter, 
le  at 

the 
iwas 
|yed 

lad^ 


prior  to  their  ascending  the  Black  River.  If  Perrot's  statement 
were  true,  then  Menard  and  not  Marquette,  would  be  the 
discoverer  of  the  Upper  Mississippi.  * 

After  the  general  defeat  of  the  Algonquin  tribes  by  the  Iro- 
quois in  1649-50,  the  Hurone  (and  Ottawas)  settled  for  some 
years  on  Mackinaw  Island.  Thence  they  fled  to  some  islands 
at  the  entry  of  Green  Bay,  thence  to  the  shores  of  Green  Bay, 
probably  at  the  "  Red  Clay  Banks,"  about  twelve  miles  below 
the  head  of  the  bay,  near  Dykesville,  where  they  erected  a 
poor  fort  and  tried  to  poison  their  Iroquois  besiegers  witli 
poisoned  corn  bread.  They  went  down  the  Wisconsin  and 
up  the  Mississippi  as  far  as  the  head  of  Lake  Pepin,  where 
they  settled  on  an  island,  about  eighteen  miles  below 
Pret?cott.  Here  they  lived  some  years  in  peace,  till  foolishly 
attempting  to  invade  the  territory  of  the  Sioux  to  get 
possession  of  their  hunting-gruit'nds,  they  were  defeated 
by  the  latter  and  forced  to  abandon  their  island-home.  In 
order  to  get  away  from  their  en'jmies,  who  were  continually 
harrassing  them,  they  sailed  up  the  Black  River  to  its  source. 
Here  the  Hurons  constructed  a  fort,  and  it  was  there  they 
were  in  1661,  when  Father  Menard  attempted  to  bring  them 
the  consolations  oi  religion,  and  perished  probably  within  n 
day's  journey  of  their  village.  The  Ottav/as  had  in  the  mean- 
while pushed  on  to  Lake  Superior^  and  ^  ttled  on  the  shons 
of  Ashland  (Chequamegon)  Bay,  on  the  flat,  between  Fish 
Creek  and  Ashland.  They  were  fd'ter wards  joined  by  the 
Hurons,  whose  village  seems  to  have  been  on  the  south- 
western end  of  said  bay,  and  it  was  there  that  Father 
Ailouez  fcund  both  tribes  in  1665.  Perrot,  who  came  into 
the  country  of  the  great  lakes  about  1665,  obtained  hiji 
account  from  Indian  and  French  reports.  He  was  told  that 
Father  Menard  had  been  abandoned  by  the  Hurons  and  that 
he  and  his  faithful  companion  had  followed  the  route  of  said 
Hurons,  carefully  noting  the  plnces,  where  they  had  made 
portages;  but  this  had  reference  to  the  Hurons,  whom  he  had 
met  with  at  Keweenaw  Bay,  and  who  were  to  pilot  him  !*> 
their  village,  but  abandoned  him  at  Lac  Vieux  Desert.  This 
Perrot  understood  of  the  Hurons  on  their  flight  to  the  head 

1  Before  arrivinff  at  Chequamegon  Bay,  they  probably  lived  some  years 
at  Lac  Courte  Oreille,  which  even  lo  this  day  is  called  hy  the  Chippewas  Otta- 
UHi-stiyatgan,  ''Ottawa  Lake."  An  Indian  tradition  affirms  that  many  of  them 
perished  on  the  shores  of  that  lake  from  starvation,  during-  a  severe  whiter,  in 
which  their  provisions  entirely  jrave  ovU. 


I'm 


176 

of  Green  Bay  and  up  the  Mississippi.  I  think  this  sufficiently 
explains  the  discrepancy  in  the  two  accounts.  Perrot's  state- 
ments are,  in  the  main,  correct  and  reliable,  and  with  the  one 
exceptionjust  explained,  they  harmonize  with  the  "Relations." 
Father  Menard  went  from  Keweenaw  Bay  to  Ijac  Vieux 
Desert,  situated  on  the  boundary  line  between  Michigan  and 
Wisconsin.  There  he  tarried  two  weeks,  waiting  in  vain  for 
the  young  Hurons  who  were  to  conduct  him  to  their  village. 
His  scanty  stock  of  provisions  beginning  to  give  out,  he 
starts  with  only  one  Frenchman  for  the  Huron  village. 
Their  way  lay  through  a  country  literally  sowed  with  lakes, 
ponds  and  swamps.  They  descend  the  Wisconsin,  being 
often  obliged  to  make  portages  at  the  many  rapids  on  the 
headwaterc  of  that  river.  Carefully  tney  follow  the  route  of 
the  Hurons.  who  had  abandoned  them  at  Lac  Vieux  Desert, 
making  portages  wherever  they  had  made  them.  Finally 
there  remained  a  long  portage  from  the  Wisconsin  to  Black 
River.  It  /as  probably  when  making  th  sir  last  portage 
along  some  rapids  of  tiie  Wisconsin  that  Father  Menard  got 
lost  and  perished.  This  occurred  within  perhaps  a  day's 
journey  from  the  Huron  village  on  Black  River.  Hence  we 
are  yiolined  to  think  that  Father  Menard  died  somewhere 
near  the  mouth  of  Copper  river,  a  few  miles  above  Merrill, 
between  there  and  Medford. 


St.  Theresa  Bay. 

No  bay  of  Lake  Superior  now  bears  the  name  given  by 
!I?ather  Menard,  but  there  is  no  doubt  but  that  St.  Theresa 
Bay  is  what  is  now  called  Keweenaw  Bay.  The  "  Relation  " 
of  1664,  p.  6,  says  that  the  bay  where  Father  Menard  ai  rived 
on  St.  Theresa  day,  Oct.  15th,  and  where  he  wintered,  was  a 
large  bay  on  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Superior,  one  hundred 
leagues  above  the  Sault.  It  cannot  be  Chequamegon  Bay, 
for  Father  Allouez  in  "  Relation  "  of  1667,  p.  9,  expressly 
states  that  on  his  way  to  Chequamegon  (Chagaouamigong) 
Bay  he  passed  the  bay  called  by  the  aged  Father  Menard 
St.  Theresa  Bay,  where  he  found  some  Christian  women 
converted  by  him  five  years  before. 

The  word  "  Keweenaw  "  is  a  corruption  of  the  Chippewa 
word  "  Kakiweonan  "  (pron.  Kah-ke-wa-o-nan),  which  means 


177 

"**  Where  they  make  a  short  cut  by  water,"  and  significantly 
denotes  the  passage  Jrom  the  west  shore  of  Keweenaw  Point 
by  way  of  Portage  Lake  and  Portage  River  to  the  east  shore 
of  said  Point.  In  all  probability  Father  Menard's  mission 
was  located  at  Old  Village  Point,  or  "  Pikwak  we  warning  " 
(Pikwakwewam),  "  a  peninsula  in  the  shape  of  a  knob," 
about  seven  miles  north  of  the  present  town  L'Anse,  Mich. 
Father  Menard  baptized  there  some  fifty  adults  and  many 
xjhildren. 


red 

a 

red 

Ig) 

ird 
len 


bwa 
ins 


Earthquake  of  1638. 

We  have  devoted  a  chapter  to  this  most  remarkable  and 
well  authenticated  earthquake.  We  thought  it  would  be 
interesting  to  many  of  our  readers,  to  tourists  and  others 
traveling  on  the  St.  Lawrence.  Besides,  this  earthquake  may 
have  extended  to  the  Lake  Superior  country.  The  north 
shore,  the  Apostles  Islands,  in  fact,  this  whole  region  shows 
that  it  has  been  the  scene  of  great  subterraneous  disturb- 
ances, upheavals  and  sinkings  in  bygone  times.  True,  there 
is  no  written  account  that  said  earthquake  of  1 663  was  felt 
ut  Lake  Superior;  but  this  is  easily  accounted  for.  Father 
Menard  was  no  more.  Father  Allouez  arrived  in  1665.  Had 
any  of  these  missionaries  been  here  in  1663,  they  would 
doubtlessly  have  chronicled  this  event,  if  an  earthquake  had 
been  felt  in  this  upper  country.  It  extended  up  the  Ottawa 
River,  perhaps  as  far  as  Georgian  Bay  and  eastward  to  the 
Atlantic  seaboard.  It  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  remark- 
-able  and  most  minutely  described  earthquakes  of  modern 
times. 

As  regards  the  supernatural  features  of  the  earthquake,  we 
find  nothing  strange  or  superstitious  in  the  narrative  of  the 
"  Relations."  That  an  Almighty  Being  can  work  miracles  ia 
self-evident.  That  he  has  done  so  is  a  matter  of  history. 
The  Bible  account  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament  is  full  of 
them.  Flavins  Josephus  relates  many  preternatural  signs 
that  preceded  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  at  which  he  was 
present.  In  II.  book  of  the  Maccabees,  ch.  V.,  we  find 
supernatural  facts  related  more  wonderful  than  those  men- 
tioned in  the  "  Relations."  Armed  soldiers  were  publicly 
seen  in  the  air  by  all  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  during 


178 

frtrty  days,  goin?  through  all  the  manoeavres  of  warfare.  The- 
emperor  Constantine  the  Great  beheld  prior  to  his  celebrated 
battle  with  Maxentins  near  the  gates  of  Rome,  October  28th, 
A.  D.  312,  at  noonday  with  his  whole  army  a  wonderful 
cross  in  the  skies,  with  Greek  inscription:  "En  touto  nike" — 
"  In  this  thou  shalt  conquer."  The  preternatural  sights  and 
the  earthquake  combined  had  a  most  salutary  effect  upon 
the  inhabitants  of  the  St.  Lawrence  valley.  Hence  it  was  not 
unworthy  of  the  Deity  to  use  such  means  for  so  good  an 
end  :  the  conversion  and  moral  reformation  of  thousands  of 
people. 


Father  Allouez— Short  Sketch  op  his  Life  and  Labors. 


Father  Allouez  may  justly  be  called  the  "Apostle  of  Wis- 
consin," for  he  is  the  founder  of  every  Indian  mission  within 
the  limits  o^  'r  State.  On  the  1st  of  October,  1665,  he 
arrived  at  Ch.^^ouaniigong  (Shagawainikong)and  established 
the  mission  of  the  Holy  Ghost  at  the  head  of  Ashland  Bay. 
Indetatigably  he  labored  there  until  1669.  Leaving  Sault 
Ste.  Marie  November  the  3d  of  that  same  year,  he  d,rrived 
at  the  head  of  Green  Bay  December  the  2(1.  and  having  said 
mass  with  all  possible  solemnity  December  3d,  feaBt  of  St. 
Francis  Xavier,  he  founded  there  the  mission  of  St.  Francis 
Xavier.  Afterwards,  in  1671,  the  mission  was  removed  about 
two  leagues  up  the  Fox  River  to  the  site  of  the  present  city 
of  Depere,  where  in  1676  a  beautiful  church  wa*»  built  by 
Father  Albanel.  Ten  years  later,  1686,  Nicolas  Perrot,  author 
of  certain  ''  Memoires"  on  the  customs,  wars,  and  religion  of 
the  Algonqum  tribes  living  in  the  country  of  the  "Great 
J^akes>"  made  a  present  to  said  church  f  Depere  of  a  beauti- 
ful sliver  monstrance  which  was  found  in  1802,  buried  in  the 
ground  probably  near  the  site  of  the  old  Jesuit  Church. 

On  the  16lh  of  April,  1670;  Father  Allouez  started  from 
St.  Francis  mission  to  visit  the  Outagamies  (Foxes)  on  the 
Woif,  and  the  Mashkoutens,  Miamis,  Illinois  and  Kickapous 
on  the  upper  Fox  r'v^r.  The  last  named  tribe  resided  at 
that  t"me  about  tvr'»lve  ruue^  ^low  the  village  of  the  other 
three  tribes,  beiovy  fin  jr.ii'.;ti'M^  of  the  Fox  and  Wisconsin 
rivers,  probab]/  near  K}ij&  (AHjuez).  Leaving  Green  Bay 
on  the  16th  oi  April,  he  jisassed  Appleton  on  the  19th,  on 


179 

which  day  he  says  he  saw  an  eclipse  of  the  sun.  On  the 
evening  of  that  day,  which  was  a  Saturday,  he  arrived  at 
the  entrance  of  Lake  VN^innebago  and  camped  there  for  the 
night.  The  next  day,  Sunday,  they  sailed  as  far  as  the  mouth 
of  Wolf  River,  and  the  Father  said  mass  on  the  spot  where 
Oshkosh  now  stands.  He  then  ascended  the  Wolf  River,  and 
on  th*^  24th  arrived  at  the  village  of  the  Outagami,  which 
was  situated  about  six  miles  above  ''  Little  Lake  St.  Francis" 
(probably  Lake  Winneconne)  at,  or  a  little  below,  Mukwa, 
(Lake  Winnebago  is  called  by  Allouez,  Lake  St.  Francis). 
He  began  his  missionary  labors  among  them  on  St.  Mark's 
day,  April  the  25th,  hence  he  called  it  St.  Mark's  Mission.  He 
found  them  plunged  in  great  grief  on  account  of  a  terrible 
calamity  that  had  in  the  preceding  month  of  March  hap- 
pened to  them.  An  Iroquois  party  of  eighteen  men,  led  by 
two  Iroquois  who  had  long  been  captives  among  the  Potta- 
watamis,  attacked  a  small  village  of  the  latter,  while  the  braves 
were  away  from  home.  They  killed  some  six  men  and  one 
hundred  women  and  children,  and  led  thirty  women  into 
captivity.  This  happened  some  two  days  journey  from  Green 
Bay,  probably  not  far  from  Manitowoc.  The  poor  people 
were  too  grief-stricken  to  listen  much  to  the  Father's  words. 
He  visited  them  often  afterwards  and  baptized  many  adults 
and  children. 

On  the  27th  of  April,  he  left  St.  Mark's  mission  and  on 
the  29th  he  ascended  the  upper  Fox  River,  and  on  the  30th 
arrived  at  the  village  of  the  Mashkoutens,  three  leagues  from 
the  junction  of  the  Fox  and  Wisconsin  Rivers.  The  village 
was  buiit  about  two  miles  from  the  bank  of  the  Fox  River, 
on  an  eminence  overlooking  a  beautiful  prairie  country,  not 
far  from  a  rreek  with  mineral  water  on  the  eastern  side  of 
the  river,  not  far  from  Corning.  He  published  to  them  the 
gospel,  which  they  received  with  great  eagerness  and  docility 
and  baptized  five  children,  who  were  in  danger  of  death.  The 
mission  was  called  St.  James,  whose  feast  falls  on  the  1st  of 
May,  being  the  day  he  had  announced  to  them  the  first 
tidings  of  salvation.  On  the  3d  of  May  he  departed  and  in 
three  days  arrived  at  his  mission  of  St,  Francis.  On  the  6th 
of  the  same  month  he  started  to  visit  the  Menominees  and 
begun  there  the  mistsion  of  St.  Michael.  They  were  then 
residing  near  the  mouth  of  the  river,  which  bears  their  name. 
As  he  announced  to  them  the  gospel  on  the  8th  of  May,  he 


180 

•called  it  St.  Michael's  Mission,  in  honor  of  that  great  angel, 
the  feast  of  whose  apparition  falls  on  that  day.  In  the  fall 
of  the  same  year,  1670,  he  visited  again  the  Mashkoutens  on 
the  upper  Fox  River,  in  company  with  Father  Dablon, 
Superior  of  the  upper  Algonquin  missions. 

Besides  these  missions,  he  established  another  among  the 
Winnebagoes  and  Pottawatamies  on  the  eastern  shore  of 
•Green  Bay,  between  Bay  Settlem'mt  and  Sturgeon  Bay,  and 
among  the  Sacs,  whose  village  was  located  four  leagues  up 
the  Fox  River,  somewhere  near  Little  rapids.  Father  Louis 
Andr^  took  charge  of  the  missions  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  Green  Bay,  and  Father  Allouez  attended  those  further 
distant.  In  1673,  when  Father  Marquette  arrived  at  the 
mission  of  St.  Francis,  at  the  head  of  Green  Bay,  he  found 
over  two  thousand  fervent  Christians  belonging  to  that  mis- 
sion a^id  itfe'  dependencies.  Father  Allouez  8i)ent  almost 
iw.  ity^-five  years  on  the  Indian  miasions  of  Wisconsin  and 
Illinois,  the  greatest  part  of  that  time  being  devoted  to 
christianizing  the  Indians  of  Wisconsin.  He  died  about  1689 
in  the  mission  of  St.  Joseph,  St.  Joseph's  River,  Michigan, 


i. 


Father  Allouez'  Message  to  the  Upper  Algonquins. 

The  "  Relation  "  of  1665,  p.  9,  speaking  of  Father  Allouez' 
mission  to  the  upper  Algonquin  tribes  residing  in  the  Lake 
Superior  country,  says:  "  Monsieur  de  Tracy  gave  the  Father 
three  presents,  which  he  was  to  make  to  those  people  as  soon 
as  he  would  arrive  in  their  country,  declaring  to  them: 

"  First,  that  the  king  was  going  to  bring  the  Iroquois  to 
reason  and  consequently  uphold  their  (upper  Algonquin) 
country,  which  was  tottering,  ready  to  fall. 

"Secondly,  that  if  the  Nadouessiouek  (Sioux)  who  are 
their  other  enemies,  whom  they  have  also  on  their  hands — 
if  they  do  not  want  to  listen  to  peace  he  will  compel  them 
by  the  force  of  his  arms." 

"  The  .third  {vresent  was  to  exhort  all  the  Algonquin  tribes 
of  those  quarters  to  embrace  the  faith,  of  which  some  have 
liad  already  some  tincture  through  the  indefatigable  cares 
and  apostolic  zeal  of  Father  Ren*'  Menard,  who,  by  a  par- 
ticular conduct  of  Providence,  got  lost  in  their  woods,  where 


181 


he  died  of  hunger  and  misery,  abandoned  by  all  human' 
succor.  But  God,  no  doubt,  will  not  have  abandoned  him,, 
as  he  is  everywhere  with  those  who  lose  themselves  for  his 
love  in  the  conquest  of  souls  redeemed  by  the  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ.  Some  years  ago  (1656)  another  one  of  our 
Fathers,  Father  Leonard  Garreau,  having  taken  the  same 
road,  with  the  snme  Outaouac  tribe,  with  the  same  designs  for 
the  salvation  of  those  souls,  met  happily  with  death  on  the 
second  day  of  his  voyage,  having  been  killed  in  an  ambus- 
cade of  the  Iroquois,  who  were  lying  in  wait  for  them." 


)m 


Chagaouamigong. 

The  word  Chagaouamigong  (now  corruptly  written  Che- 
quamegon  ^  is  used  to  designate  a  long  point  of  land  at  the 
entrance  of  Ashland  Bay,  Hon^otinutH  called  T.ight- house 
Island.  The  Relations  speak  of  Chagouamigong  Point  and 
Bay.  Nicolas  Perrot  speaks  of  Chagouamigong  and  applies 
it  to  the  whole  country  in  the  neighborhood  of  said  point  of 
land. 

Wm.  W  Warren,  who  spoke  Chippewa  very  fluently,  it 
being  his  mother-tongue,  though  his  father  was  American, 
says  the  word  means  "the  soft  beaver-dam,"  and  in  his  work 
"  History  of  the  Ojibways,"  based  upon  traditions  and  oral 
statements,  Minn.  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  V,  he  relates  an  Indian 
legend  to  explain  the  origin  of  this  name.  Here  it  is:  Mena- 
bosho,  the  great  Indian  demi-god,  who  made  the  earth  anew 
after  the  deluge,  once  was  hunting  the  great  manitou-beaver 
in  Lake  Superior,  which  was  but  a  large  beaver-pond.  The 
beaver,  flying  from  his  powerful  enemy,  took  reiuge  in  Ash- 
land Bay.  To  capture  him,  Menab<j(Bho  built  a  long  dam 
from  the  south  shore  across  the  bay  to  T^a  Pointe  Island.  In 
doing  so,  he  would  take  up  handfuls  of  the  soft  dirt  and 
throw  them  into  the  lake,  and  these  are  the  Apopitlei-'  Islands. 
Thus  the  Indians  explain  the  origin  of  those  islands.  Dam 
finished,  off  he  starts  in  pursuit  of  the  great  l'>eaver.  Already 
he  imagines  that  h^  has  him  cornered.  But  alas  !  poor 
Menabosho  is  doomed  to  disappointment.  The  beaver  breaks 
through  the  soft  dam  and  escapes;  hence  the  word  Chagaoua- 
mig  or  Shagawamik,  in  the  locative  case  Shagawamikong, 
"The  soft  beaver-dam." 


182 

Bishop  Baraga,  in  his  Chippewa-Eaglish  Dictionary,  gives 
the  verb  jagawamika  and  defines  it:  "  There  is  a  long, 
shallow  place  in  the  lake,  where  the  waves  break";  the  letter 
*'j"  having  the  French  sound  of  "j"  in  the  words  jour,  jardin: 

f)hilologist8  represent  this  sound  (j)  by  zh,  to  be  pronounced 
ike  z  in  azure,  glazier.  The  French  "ch"  corresponds  to  our 
English  "sh"  in  8how,  short,  etc.  Hence  the  "  Relations  "  give 
Chagaouamigoag,  instead  of  Shagaouamigong  or  as  it  is  some- 
times written  Shagawamikong. 

The  word  is  exclusively  applied  by  the  Indians  at  the 
western  extremity  of  Lake  Superior  to  Shagawamikong  Point, 
near  La  Pointe;  hence  the  writer  thinks  that  it  is  a  proper 
noun,  the  name  of  a  place,  given  to  said  point  of  land  l)y 
the  Indians  on  account  of  the  above-mentioned  legendary 
incident. 

A  Very  Rev.  Friend  of  ours,  who  is  a  great  Indian  scholar, 
suggests  the  x^ollowing  explanation:  The  point  in  question 
was  probably  first  named  jagawnmika.  •'  There  are  long,  far 
extending  breakers,"  the  participle  of  which  is  jaiagawami- 
kag,  "where  there  are  long  breakers."  l3ut  later  on,  the 
legend  of  the  beaver  hunt  (which  is  found  in  other  similar 
localities)  being  applied  to  the  spot,  the  people  ioiagined  the 
word  amik  (a  beaver)  to  be  a  constituent  of  the  compound 
and  changed  the  ending  in  accordance  with  the  rules  of  their 
language,  dropping  the  final  a  in  jagawmmka  and  usinw  ih^ 
locative  case  jagawawikong,  instead  of  the  participl  (Ju- 

wamikag. 


Site  OF  THE  old  Jesuit  Ohapel  of  Fathers  Allouez  and 
Marquette  ;  Picture  and  Vestment  in  La  Pointe 
Church. 

It  is  very  probable  that  the  bark  chapel,  built  by  Father 
Allouez  in  1665,  was  subsequently  replaced  by  a  more  solid 
structure,  as  he  informs  us,  that  one  of  the  objects  of  his 
voyage  to  Quebec  in  1667  was  to  procure  French  mechanics 
to  build  a  chapel  that  would  be  a  subject  of  wonder  to  the 
Indians,  many  of  whom  had  never  seen  anything  more  pre- 
tentious than  their  birch-bark  wigwams.  Father  Allouez 
failed  in  securing  as  many  Frenchmen  as  he  had  intended; 
it  seems,  however,  that  a  few  Frenchmen  had  remained  at  La 


183 


ez 
d; 
ja 


Pointe  du  Saint  Esprit  to  trade  with  the  Indians.  Besides, 
the  "Relation"  of  1G69  says  that  there  were  already  two 
chapels  built,  one  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie  and  the  other  at  La 
Pointe  du  Saint  Esprit.  The  word  used,  "bastir,"  seems  to 
inaply  that  those  chapels  were  something  more  substantial 
than  mere  bark  chapels;  in  all  probability  they  were  log 
buildings,  fixed  up  as  nicely  as  possible,  on  the  walls  of  which 
the  good  lathers  hung  religious  pictures,  which  served  them 
80  well  in  explaining  the  various  mysteries  of  our  holy  faith. 

But  where  stood  this  old  chapel  of  Fathers  Allouez  and 
Marquette?  It  was  certainly  not  on  Madelina  (La  Pointe) 
Island.  The  "Relation"  of  1667  plainly  states  that  Father 
Allouez  found  at  the  head  of  Chequamegon  Bay  ("Chagaouami- 
gong")  a  large  village  of  Indians,  from  seven  different  tribes, 
numbering  800  men  capable  of  bearing  arms,  and  thai  it  wan 
there  he  made  his  ordinary  abode  and  constructed  his  chapel. 
Again,  the  "Relation"  of  1660  says  that  at  that  time  two 
chapels  had  been  actually  built,  the  one  at  the  "Sauli"  and 
the  other  at  "La  Pointe  du  Saint  Esprit."  Now,  the  Jesuit 
map  of  1671,  drawn  up  most  probably  by  Marquette  and 
Allouez,  places  the  mission  of  the  Holy  Ghost  on  the  main- 
land, on  the  Bayfield  peninsula,  if  it  may  be  called  so,  at  the 
head  of  Chequamegon  Bay,  near  the  southwest  corner  of 
said  bav,  between  the  head  of  the  bay  and  the  modern  town 
of  Washburn.  Father  Marauette'e  ma^)  of  1674,  which  he 
drew  up  nf\er  exploring  tne  Mississippi,  also  places  the 
mission  of  the  Holy  (ihost  at  the  head  of  Cheijuamegon  Bay. 

There  is  not  a  particle  of  truth  in  the  notion  that  the  old 
Jesuit  chapel — often  called  by  tourists,  Marquette's  church — 
stood  on  lia  Pointe  Island,  nor  is  any  part  (if  said  structure 
incorporated  into  the  present  church.  The  La  I'olnte  church 
is,  for  all  that,  an  object  worthy  of  veneration,  as  it  is  the 
oldest  catholic  church  in  Wisconsin,  dating  from  1835.  It 
was  built  by  Father,  afterwards  Bishop  Baraga,  at  Middlefort, 
near  the  Indian  cemetery,  on  the  south-eastern  side  thereof. 
It  was  taken  down  in  1841  and  rebuilt,  much  enlarged,  on  its 
present  site. 

It  is  currently  reported  that  there  is  in  La  Pointe  church 
a  vestment  worn  by  Father  Marquette  and  left  there  by 
him.  That  is  another  fable  which  we  feel  it  our  dutv  to  ex- 
plode.  The  vestments  there  were  procured  by  Bishop  Baraga 
and  his  successors;  not  one  of  them  dates  from  the  seventeenth 


*i 


184 

century.  As  to  the  picture — 'The  taking  down  of  the  body  of 
ChrlBt  from  the  cross" — we  are  not  prepared  to  pronounce  oa 
itB  origin.  A  vague  and,  as  we  honestly  believe,  unfounded' 
tradition  ascribes  it  to  Father  Marquette.  That  the  Father 
had  pictures,  we  know  from  the  "Relation"  of  1672,  which 
states  that  the  Sioux  returned  him  the  pictures  he  had  sent 
them.  No  doubt  the  picture  in  La  Poinle  church  is  very  old 
and  crumbled  up,  as  if  it  had  been  for  a  long  time  in  so.ie 
Indian's  medicine-bag.  We  incline  to  the  opiidon  that  it 
was  brought  from  Europe  by  Bishop  Baraga. 


Engraved  Coi  i»er-plate  of  Taqwagane,  Indian  Chief  op 
La  PoixVte  ;   First  Arrival  of  the  Chippewas  at  Sha- 

GAWAMIKONG  (ChEQUAMEGON). 

Mr.  Warren,  speaking  of  the  first  arrival  of  th^  Chippewas 
at  La  Pointe,  says  :  "  The  Loon  is  the  totem  also  of  a  large 
clan  (of  the  Chippewa  nation).  This  bird  is  denominated  by 
the  Ojibways  '  Mang,'  but  the  family,  who  claim  it  as  their 
badge,  are  known  by  the  generic  name  of  'Ah-auh-\vauh,* 
which  is  derived  by  imitating  its  peculiar  cry.  This  family 
claim  the  hereditary  first  chieftainship  in  the  tribe,  but  they 
cannot  substantiate  their  pretensions  further  back  than  their 
first  intercourse  with  the  old  French  discoverers  and  traders, 
who,  on  a  certain  occasion,  appointed  some  of  their  principal 
men  as  chiefs,  and  endowed  them  with  flags  and  medals. 
Strictly  confined  to  their  own  primitive  tribal  polity,  the 
allegory  of  the  Cranes  (given  by  Chief  Tagwagane  in  a  speech 
held  by  him  at  the  treaty  of  La  Pointe  in  1842,  and  which 
Warren  gives  elsewhere  in  full,  in  which  he  claims  the  chief- 
taincy for  the  Crane  totem)  cannot  be  controverted,  nor  has  it 
ever  been  gainsaid.  * 

"  To  support  their  claim,  this  family  hold  in  their  posses* 
sion  a  circular  plate  of  virgin  copper,  on  which  are  rudely 
marked  indentations  and  hieroglyphics  denoting  the  number 
of  generations  of  the  family  who  have  passed  way  since  they 
first  piiched  theirlodgesatShagawamikong  and  took  posses- 
sion of  the  adjacent  (country,  including  the  island  of  La  Pointe 
or  Moningwanekaning. 

"  When  I  witnessed  this  curious  family  register  in  1842,  it 
was  exhibited  by  Tagwagane  to  my  father.    The  old  chief 


185 


kept  it  carefully  buried  in  the  ground,  and  seldom  displayed 
it.  On  this  occasitn  he  only  brought  it  to  view,  at  the  entreaty 
of  my  mother,  whose  maternal  uncle  he  was.  Father,  mother 
and  the  old  chief,  have  ail  since  gone  to  the  land  of  spiritp, 
and  I  am  the  only  one  still  living  wn(  witnessed  on  that  occa- 
sion t  i'lB  sacred  relic  of  former  days. 

"  On  this  plate  of  copper  were  marked  eight  deep  indenta- 
tions, denoting  the  number  of  his  ancestors  who  had  passed 
away  since  they  first  lighted  their  fire  at  Shagawamikong. 
They  had  all  lived  to  a  good  old  age. 

•*  By  the  rudi  tigure  oi  a  man  with  a  hat  on  his  head,  placed 
opposite  one  of  these  inde.itations,  was  denoted  the  period, 
when  the  white  race  !  rst  made  its  .ppearauce  among  them. 
This  mark  occurred  in  the  third  generation,  leaving  five  gen- 
erations, which  have  passed  away  since  (hat  important  era  in 
their  history. 

"  Tagwagane  was  about  sixty  years  of  age  at  the  time  he 
showed  this  plate  of  copper,  which  he  said  descended  to  him 
through  a  long  line  of  ancestors.  He  died  two  years  ago  (i.  e. 
about  1850),  and  his  death  has  added  the  nii  ^h  indentation 
thereon ;  niakingy  <ii  this  period,  nine  generations  ■•<nice  the  Ojihways 
iir.'^t  reside'^  at  La  Pointe,  or  six  generations  since  their  first 
intercourse  with  the  whites. 

"  From  the  mannc  r  in  which  they  estimate  their  genera- 
tions, they  may  be  counted  as  comprising  a  little  over  half 
the  full  term  of  years  allotted  to  mankind,  which  will  mate- 
rially exceed  the  white  man's  generation.  The  Ojibways 
never  count  a  generation  as  passed  away,  till  the  oldest  man 
in  the  family  has  died,  and  the  writer  assumes  from  these, 
and  other  facts  obtained  through  observation  and  inquiry, 
forty  years  as  the  term  of  an  Indian  generation.  It  is  neces- 
sary to  state,  however,  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  may  con- 
sider this  as  an  over-estimate,  that  since  the  introduction  of 
intoxicating  drinks  and  diseases  of  the  whites,  the  former 
well  authenticated  longevity  of  the  Indians  has  Deen  materi- 
ally lesp«^ned. 

"According  to  this  estimate,  it  is  now  (1852)  three  hundred 
and  sixty  years  since  the  Ojibways  first  collected  in  one  grand 
central  town  on  the  Island  of  La  Pointe  (about  A.  D.  1492), 
and  two  hundred  and  forty  years  since  they  were  first  dis- 
covered by  the  white  race  (about  1612),  and  seventy-seven 
years  after  Jacques  Cartier,  representing  the  French  nation, 


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186 

obtained  his  first  formal  meeting  with  the  Indians  of  the  inte- 
rior of  Canada  (in  1535),  and  fifty -six  years  (1668 — Warren's 
mistake)  before  Claude  Allouez  (as  mentioned  in  Bancroft's 
History  of  America)  first  discovered  the  Ojibways  (?)  congre- 
gated in  the  Bay  of  Shagawamikong,  preparing  to  go  on  a 
war  excursion  against  their  enemies,  the  Dacotah. 

"  From  this  period  the  Ojibways  are  traditionally  well  pos- 
sessed of  the  most  important  events  which  have  happened 
to  them  as  a  tribe,  and  from  nine  generations  back,  I  am 
prepared  to  give,  as  obtained  from  their  most  veracious,  reli- 
able and  oldest  men,  their  history,  which  mav  be  considered 
authentic."    (Minn.  Hist.  Coll.,  vol.  V.) 


Silver  Crucifix  found  at  Bad  River. 

•'  The  circumstance  also  is  worthy  of  mention,  that  a  few 
years  ago  (this  was  written  in  1852)  an  old  Indian  woman 
dug  up  an  antique  silver  crucifix  in  her  garden  at  Bad  Rivey 
(Odanah),  near  La  Pointe,  after  it  had  been  deeply  ploughed. 
This  discovery  was  made  under  my  own  observation,  and  I 
recollect  at  the  time  it  created  quite  a  little  excitement 
among  the  good  Catholics  of  La  Pointe,  who  insisted  that  the 
great  Spirit  had  given  this  as  a  token  for  the  old  woman  to 
join  the  church.  The  crucifix  was  found  about  two  feet  from 
the  surface  of  the  ground,  composed  of  pure  silver,  about 
three  inches  long  and  size  in  proportion.  It  has  since  been 
buried  at  Gull  Lake,  in  the  grave  of  a  favorite  grandchild  of 
the  Indian  woman,  to  whom  she  had  given  it  as  a  plaything." 
(Wm.  W.  Warren  in  Minn.  Hist.  Coll.,  vol.  V,  p.  117.) 

Perhaps  this  crucifix  was  given  by  Father  Allouez  or  Mar- 
quette to  some  Christian  chief  or  man  of  distinction  and 
buried  with  him. 


Beautiful  Silver  Monstrance  found  in  Depere  in  1802. 

We  copy  the  following  article  from  the  "  Wisconsin  State 
JmimaV  of  1878,  written  by  J.  D.  Butler  : 

"Sixteen  hundred  and  eighty -one  is  the  date  of  the  oldest 
tombstone  at  Plvmouth  on  the  hill  above  the  rock  where  the 
Pilgrim  fathers  landed.    Wisconsin  has  a  relic  as  old  wanting 


187 


•five  years,  attesting  the  presence  of  European  settlers  within 
her  borders.  It  is  a  memorial  as  indubitably  genuine  as  the 
Massachusetts  gravestone,  and  more  wonderful  for  many 
reasons. 

"  This  curiosity  by  a  strange  good  fortune  stands  before  me 
as  I  write.  It  is  a  silver  ornament  fifteen  inches  high  and 
elaborately  wrought.  A  standard  nine  inches  high  supports 
a  radiated  circlet  closed  with  glass  on  both  sides  and  sur- 
mounted with  a  cross.  This  glass  case,  accessible  by  a  wicket, 
was  intended  to  contain  the  sacramental  wafer  (the  sacred 
host)  when  exhibited  for  popular  veneration.  The  sacred 
utensil  is  called  a  "80/(3*7,"  as  resembling  in  shape  the  solar 
orb,  and  also  a  "  monstrance  "  and  an  "  ostensorium^"  because 
used  to  demonstrate  or  ostentate  the  holy  host. 

"  The  antiquit}'^  of  the  relic  before  me  is  beyond  doubt  or 
cavil.  Around  the  rim  of  its  oval  base  I  veaa  the  following 
inscription,  in  letters  every  one  of  which,  though  rude,  is  per- 
fectly legible : 

t  Ce  soleil  a  este  donnI  par  Mr.  Nicolas  Perrot  a  la 
Mission  de  St.  Francois  Xavier  en  la  Baye  des  Puants,  t 
1686. 

That  is  in  English  :  "This  salary  was  presented  by  Mr, 
Nicolas  Perrot  to  the  mission  of  Saint  Francis  Xavier  at  Green 
Bay  in  the  year  1686." 

"  A  lawyer  full  of  skeptical  suggestions,  like  the  Satanic 
toad  squatting  at  the  ear  of  Eve,  whispers  that  this  inscrip- 
tion might  be  cut  in  our  time  as  easily  as  two  centuries  sgo. 
So,  too,  it  were  as  easy  to  write  his  legal  documents,  if  forged, 
as  if  genuine, — yet  he  believes  in  them. 

"  The  ostensorium  was  sent  to  me  by  the  Bishop  of  Green 
Bay.  The  inscription  on  it  was  printed  by  Shea,  "History 
of  Catholic  Missions"  in  J  855.  But  the  shrine  on  which  it  is 
engraved  had  been  plowed  up  fifty-three  years  before,  at  De- 
pere,  in  1802.  Such  is  the  Catholic  tradition,  which  we  have 
no  reason  to  distrust. 

"  Regarding  Perrot,  the  donor  of  the  ostensory,  little  was 
known  where  it  was  unearthed.  But  it  is  now  ascertained 
that  he  was  traversing  the  northwest  in  1663  and  for  a  quarter 
of  a  century  thereafter.  He  was  the  earliest  and  ablest  of 
those  French  agents  sent  west  of  I^ake  Michigan  to  gather  up 
fragments  of  nations  scattered  by  the  Iroquois,  and  con- 
federate them  under  French  leadership  against  those  invet- 


188 

erate  foes  of  France.  His  adventures,  largely  in  Wisconsin^ 
he  wrote  out,  not  for  publication,  but  for  the  information  of 
Canadian  governors  ("Memoire").  These  memoirs,  laid  up^ 
in  Parisian  archives,  were  never  printed  till  1864,  and  remain 
to  this  day  untranslated.  The  date  on  the  ostensory  tallies 
with  the  period  when  he  was  Governor  of  Green  Bay  and  all 
the  Northwest.  Such  a  present  was  in  keeping  with  his 
devotional  proclivities,  his  fondness  for  the  missionaries,  and 
his  desire  to  make  his  favor  for  those  apostles  manifest  to 
Indian  converts. 

"  The  mission  at  Pepere — five  miles  above  Green  Bay — 
was  the  oldest  west  of  Lake  Michigan,  except  that  at  La 
Pointe.  It  was  established  sixteen  years  before  the  date  of 
Perrot'e  present,  that  is  in  1670.  The  first  chapel  was  prob- 
ably a  bark  wigwam,  but  in  1676  a  finr  church  was  erected 
through  the  efforts  of  Father  Charles  Albanel.  The  same 
year  Father  Silvy  reported  as  baptized  at  that  station  thirty- 
six  adults  and  one  hundred  and  twenty-six  children.  But 
within  a  twelve-month  after  the  benefaction  of  Perrot,  the 
Depere  chui'ch.  was  burned  by  pagan  Indians.  It  is  natural 
to  suppose  that  at  the  first  alarm  the  ostensory  was  buried  in 
the  earth  by  its  guardians,  who  sought  to  save  it  from  sacri- 
legious hands,  and  who  succeeded  so  well  that  they  were 
never  able  to  recover  it  themselves.  The  earth  of  Depere  was 
a  sort  of  Pompeii,  sealing  up  in  secrecy  and  safety  a  witness 
who  stood  much  nearer  the  cradle  of  our  history  than  Pom- 
peii to  that  of  Italy. 

"  A/ac  simile  of  the  marvelous  monstrance  has  been  taken 
of  life-size  by  our  photographic  artist,  Mr.  Jones,  and  will 
soon  be  exhibited  in  the  halls  of  the  Historical  Society.  The 
original  I  restore  to  the  Bishop  of  Green  Bay,  F.  X.  Kraut- 
bauer,  who  keeps  it  in  his  vault.  On  Christmas  night 
(should  read.  Holy  Saturday  night),  1834  (should  read,  1838), 
it  was  stolen  from  the  church  by  some  drunken  soldiers 
from  Fort  Howard,  but  recovered  the  next  day.  It  was  after- 
wards carried  to  France  and  brought  back  only  a  few  years 
ago.  Its  weight  is  a  trifle  over  twenty  ounces,  and  the  re- 
pousse work,  rayonnant  and  flamboyant,  attest  that  it  must 
have  been  manufactured  in  France  itself,— just  as  the  rude- 
ness of  the  lettering  bears  witness  of  a  Green  Bay  provincial 
goldsmith.  An  odd  bit  of  proof  has  fallen  in  my  way  that 
the  aoleil  is  at  least  seven  years  older  than  1686,  the  date  of 


189 


Iter- 

jars 

re- 

lUSt 

ide- 
kial 
that 
of 


its  coneecration  to  the  mission.  It  is  this:  In  1679  Louis 
XIV.  issued  a  decree  that  every  soleil  should  have  a  mark 
and  countermark  stamped  on  its  oval  base.  The  soleil  now 
before  me  bears  no  such  stamp.  Either,  therefore,  it  is  older 
than  1679,  or  through  pious  fraud  it  evaded  the  roj^al  order. 
The  base  was  broken  from  the  standard  by  the  plow,  but  the 
fracture  was  well  repaired. 

"  There  are  four  memorials  older  than  the  ostensorium  of 
Perrot,  proving  the  presence  of  white  men  in  Wisconsin, — 
but  they  are  all  treasure*!  far  beyond  its  borders,  and  I  fea^ 
will  be  for  a  long  time.  One  is  the  original  manuscript  of 
Marquette,  detailing  his  journey  across  Wisconsin  and  down 
the  Mississippi,  which  was  written  at  Green  Bay  in  the  win- 
ter of  1673-4.  This  writing  is  in  the  college  of  St.  Mary  at 
Montreal.  The  second  memorial  is  Joliet's  notes  on  the  same 
journoy,  written  .ii  his  return  to  France  in  1674,  and  pre- 
served in  th  seminary  of  St.  Sulpice  at  Paris.  The  other 
two  are  maps,  both  preserved  in  Parisian  archives,  one  is  of 
Lake  Superior,  drawn  up  in  1671;  the  other  dating  from  1679, 
^'shows  the  Messipi  from  49°  to  42*^,  where  the  Misconsing 
comes  in,"  according  tt  an  inscription  upon  it. 

"  Fragments  of  French  arms  and  other  metallic,  glass  or 
earthern  articles  doubtless  exist  in  the  northwest,  that  are 
older  than  the  sacred  silver  relic  of  Perrot.  But  none  known 
to  me  can  be  proved  of  so  great  antiquity,  for  none  of  them 
can  bear  dates  that  are  tell-tales  of  their  age.  In  Ottawa  I 
saw  a  bronze  cross  picked  up  at  the  foot  ol  Starved  Rock,  and 
oalled  Marquette's;  but  it  bears  no  date.  There  is  another 
of  silver  that  was  found  at  Green  Bay  and  presented  long  ago 
to  our  State  Historical  Society,  but  how  old  it  is  no  one 
knows,  or  can  know. 

"Some  other  dated  native  offering  to  the  LaPointe  or 
•Green  Bay  missions  even  before  1686  may  possibly  come  to 
light,  but  aside  from  such  an  improbable  windfall,  it  seems 
impossible  that  any  antiquarian  discovery  this  side  cff  the 
prehistoric  period,  either  in  Wisconbin,  or,  indeed,  out  of  it, 
m  all  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  Mississippi  valley,  can 
ever  be  made  that  shall  rival,  as  a  work  of  art,  as  a  religious 
relic,  and  above  all  as  a  historical  memorial,  the  silver  oeten- 
fiorium  of  Nicolas  Perrot.    With  good  reason,  then,  has  Wis- 


190 

consin  fostered  her  Historical  Society  till  it  is  preeminent 
throughout  the  West.  It  had  the  most  precious  memorial 
to  enshrine.  J.  D.  Butler. 

Madison,  July  22,  1878. 


Silver  Monstrance  of  Father  Allouez. 

''  An  Indian  with  the  name  of  "Kiskirinanso,  i.  e.  Chopped 
Buffalo,"  of  the  tribe  of  Maskoutin,  a  war-chief  renowned 
among  his  people,  says  that  in  a  small  river  to  which  he  will 
conduct  me,  he  had  found  a  lot  of  white  metal,  a  piece  of 
which,  he  says,  he  gave  to  Father  Allouez,  and  that  Brother 
Charles,  a  goldsmith  who  resided  at  the  Bay  of  the  Puants 
(Green  Bay),  had  worked  it  and  made  thereof  a  soleil  (mon- 
strance, ostensory),  in  which  the  holy  bread  is  put;  this  is  the 
silver  monstrance  which  the  same  Brother  made  there;  that 
Father  Allouez  had  given  him  in  reward  some  goods  and  told 
him  to  keep  this  thing  secret,  as  it  (the  white  metal)  was  a 
manitou,  i.  e.  a  spirit  that  is  not  dead."  (La  Salle's  letter,  in 
Margry,  vol.  II,  p.  178-9.) 

N.  B. — The  writer  has  translated  the  above  from  a  slip  of 
paper  written  in  German,  which  Rev.  N.  Kersten,  Green  Bay^ 
kindly  sent  him. 


Curious  Ancient  Medal  dug  up  at  Fort  Howard. 

"  While  the  first  colonists  of  Massachusetts,  Manhattan  and 
Virginia  were  struggling  to  make  good  their  settlements  on 
the  coast,  a  bold  Frenchman,  Nicolet,  was  exploring  Green 
Bay  and  the  river  entering  into  it.  As  early  as  1669  the 
Jesuit  Father,  Allouez,  began  to  announce  Christianity  to  the 
Sacs  and  Foxes,  Winnebagoes  and  Pottawatamies,  around 
that  bay.  These  missions  continued  for  more  that  a  cen- 
tury (?)  and  the  plow  and  spade  in  our  day  frequently  turn 
up  some  evidence  of  the  labors  of  these  early  clergymen. 

"Some  years  since,  a  silver  monstrance  was  tound  near 
Green  Bay,  the  inscription  on  it  showing  that  it  had  been 
presented  in  1684  (?)  to  the  chapel  there,  by  Nicolas  Perrot, 
a  man  who  bore  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  French  explora- 
tion and  development  of  the  West. 


191 

"  May,  1878,  Patrick  McCabe,  a  railroad  laborer  of  Depere, 
a  spot  five  miles  from  Green  Bay,  which  in  its  name  recalls 
the  early  missionaries,  while  digging  out  gravel  for  the  rail- 
road, near  the  eite  where  the  American  Fort  Howard  was 
built  years  ago,  so  long  indeed  that  no  trace  of  it  remains, 
found  a  curious  old  medal  of  which  we  give  a  picture. 

"  It  is  one  evidently  struck  in  Italy,  as  indicated  by  the 
word  '  Roma,'  and  by  the  whole  style  of  the  workmanship. 
It  was  struck  for  use  by  the  Jesuits,  a  fact  which  may  not 
appear  at  once,  but  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  on  the  little 
orb  surrounded  by  cherubs  is  the  arms  of  the  Society  of  Jesus, 
the  letters  I.  H.  S.,  surmounted  by  a  cross,  with  the  three 
nails  beneath  it. 

"Without  the  nails,  it  is  a  common  Roman  Catholic  sym- 
bol, but  with  that  addition  it  is  the  special  insignia  of  the 
Jesuits,  a  fact  which  architects  and  glass- stainera  ought  to 
know,  for  it  is  rather  odd  to  find  a  Protestant  church  some- 
times with  what  unintentionally  declares  it  to  be  Jesuit 
property. 

"  The  workmanship  of  the  medal  is  apparently  not  later 
than  the  seventeeth  century,  and  has  the  look  of  having  been 
moulded  and  cast  from  one  struck  by  a  die.  This  is  not 
impossible,  and  it  may  be  a  specimen  of  early  western  metal 
work.  The  Jesuits  had  lay -brothers  and  donnes,  at  Sault  Ste. 
Marie  and  Green  Bay,  who  were  smiths,  and  we  know  that 
one  at  the  Sault  used  to  go  up  Lake  Superior  to  get  native 
copper,  with  which  he  manufactured  crucifixes,  etc.,  for  the 
use  of  the  missionaries.  He  would  naturally  take  molds  of 
any  such  articles  as  he  could  find  and  reproduce  them.  The 
missions  lasted  at  Green  Bay  till  about  1729,  and  were  visited 
subsequently  at  intervals. 

"  The  me  al,  lost  probably  more  than  a  century  ago  by  a 
missionary  or  one  of  nis  dusky  converts,  bears  on  one  side 
the  figure  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  standing  on  the  moon,  her 
head  encircled  by  stars,  with  two  cherubs,  and  the  inscrip- 
tion ;  B.  Virgo  sine  Pecc(ato)  origi(nali)  c(mc{q>ta) — "  Blessed 
Virgin  conceived  without  original  sin" — and  on  the  reverse 
an  orb  with  the  monogram  as  described,  and  two  kneeling 
angels,  with  the  legend  :  ^^Sia  l(odato)  il  S.  S.  Sacramento^* 
— "  Blessed  be  the  most  Holy  Sacrament." 


ftr 


192 

"The  medal  has  excited  no  little  interest,  and  has  been 
kindly  sent  to  us  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Dr.  Krautbauer,  Roman 
Catholic  Bishop  of  Green  Bay."        (John  Gilma.ry  Shea.) 


Copper  Crucifix  found  in  Depere. 

A  crucifix  of  copper,  supposed  to  have  been  worked  by  a 
Jesuit  lay-brother  under  Father  Allouez  after  1670,  has  been 
found  in  Depere  together  with  two  Indian  skulls  and  a  stone 
pipe,  July  7th,  1879. 


Indian  Customs  of  Lake  Superior  Country. 


Indian  Superstitions;    Demon- Worship;    Religious  Rites 
AND  Ceremonies;  from  Perrot's  "Memgire."  * 

"  It  cannot  be  asserted  that  (pagan)  Indians  profess  any 
doctrine;  it  is  certain  that  they  ao  not  follow,  so  to  say,  any 
religion.  They  only  observe  sonae  Jewish  customs;  for  they 
have  certain  feasts  at  which  they  do  not  make  use  of  a  knife 
to  cut  the  n^eats  that  have  been  boiled,  but  tear  and  devour 
them  with  their  teeth.  Their  women  also,  when  they  have 
given  birth  to  a  child,  have  the  custom  of  not  entering  for 
one  month  the  cabin  of  their  husbande;  they  are  not  even 
allowed  during  all  that  time  to  eat  with  the  men  nor  to  par- 
take of  anything  prepared  by  them.  For  this  reason  they 
do  their  cocking  apart." 

''As  their  principal  divinities,  Indians  acknowledge  the 
Oreat  Hare,  the  Sun,  and  Demons;  I  mean  those  who  have 
not  been  converted.  They  invoke  most  frequently  the  Great 
Hare,  as  they  venerate  and  adore  him  as  the  creator  of  the 
earth;  also  the  Sun,  as  the  author  of  light.  But  they  also 
put  the  wicked  spirit  among  the  number  of  their  gods,  and, 
if  they  invoke  them,  it  is  because  they  fear  them  and  in  the 
invocation,  which  they  make  to  them,  they  beg  of  them  life. 
Those  among  the  Indians  whom  the  French  call  jugglers 
(medicine-men),  speak  to  the  devil,  whom  they  consult  in  re- 
gard to  war  and  the  chase." 

"  They  have,  besides,  many  other  divinities  to  whom  they 
pray  and  who,  they  claim,  reside  in  the  air,  on  the  land,  and 
beneath  the  earth.  The  gods  of  the  air  are  thunder,  light- 
ning, and  in  general  all  visible  objects  that  they  cannot  com- 
prehend, for  instance,  the  moon,  eclipses  and  whirlwinds. 

1    Perrot's  "Memoire,"  pp.  13, 13,  19,  30,  21. 


♦ 


194 

The  gods  of  the  land  consist  in  malignant  and  injurious- 
creatures,  especially  serpents,  tigers,  and  other  animals  or 
birds  with  animal-like  claws.  They  also  comprise  under  this 
head  such  animals  as  are  extraordinary  in  their  kind  for 
beauty  or  deformity.  The  gods  beneath  the  earth,  are  bears, 
who  pass  the  entire  winter  without  eating,  nourishing  them- 
selves only  from  the  substance  which  they  extract  from  their 
navel  (umbilicus)  sucking.  They  have  a  similar  regard  for 
such  animals  as  live  in  caves  or  holes  under  ground,  whom 
they  invoke  when  they  have  dreamt  of  them  in  their  sleep." 

"  For  such  like  invocations,  they  get  up  a  feast  consisting  of 
eatables  or  tobacco,  to  which  the  sachems  are  invited,  and 
the  host  declares  in  their  presence  the  dream  he  had.  They 
do  this  whenever  they  offer  up  a  sacrifice  feast  in  honor  of 
the  Manitou,  of  whom  they  dreamed.  At  such  feasts  one  of 
the  headmen  makes  a  speech,  and  naming  the  creature  to 
which  the  feast  is  vowed,  he  addresses  it  in  the  following 
words :  "  Be  merciful  to  him  who  offers  thee  these  viands" — 
naming  each  kind  of  meat  that  is  being  offered.  "  Have  pity 
on  his  family;  grant  him  all  he  needs  !"  All  present  answer 
in  chorus  "0!  O''  several  times  until  the  prayer  is  finished.. 
This  "01"  means  the  same  with  them  as  "Amen"  with  us. 
There  are  some  who  at  such  feasts  oblige  the  guests  to  eat 
all  there  is;  others  again  do  not  oblige  you  to  do  so;  you 
may  eat  what  you  like  and  take  the  rest  home." 

"  They  honor  the  Great  Tiger,  as  the  god  of  the  water, 
whom  the  Algonquins  and  others  speaking  the  same  language 
call  Michipissy'  They  tell  you  that  this  Michipissy  lives 
in  a  very  hollow  cave;  that  he  has  a  large  tail,  which  excites 
great  winds  whenever  he  moves  it  in  going  to  drink;  but 
when  he  wiggles  it  lively,  it  causes  great  tempests.  On  the 
voyages  they  are  obliged  to  make,  be  they  long  or  short,  they 
invoke  him  in  the  following  manner:  "Thou  who  art  the 
master  of  the  winds  favor  our  voyage  and  give  us  calm 
weather."  This  they  say  while  smoking  a  pipe  of  tobacco,, 
the  smoke  of  which  they  blow  up  into  the  air.  However, 
before  undertaking  somewhat  long  voyages,  they  are  sure  to- 
tomahawk  some  dogs,  whom  they  hang  up  on  some  tree  or 
pole.    Oftentimes  also  they  vow  to  the  sun,  or  lake,  dressed 

I  The  same  Manitou.  called  by  Father  Ailouez  (Relation  of  1667)  "Misslbizi." 
Bishop  Baraga  spells  the  word  Mlshibiji  (pron.  raee-shee-be-zhee)  and  deflnea 
it,  a  lion. 


195 


izi." 
Ines 


Bkins  of  elk,  hinds,  or  bucks,  in  order  to  obtain  good  weather. 
If  in  winter  Ihey  have  to  make  a  voyage  on  the  ice,  they  in- 
voke for  thih  purpose  a  certain  ST)irit,  called  by  the  Algon- 
quins  Mateoiaek,  to  whom  they  oner  the  smoke  of  tobacco^ 
praying  him  to  be  propitious  and  favorable  to  them  on  their 
journey.  But  this  devotion  is  practiced  with  considerable 
carelessness,  the  little  fervor  they  have  then  not  nearly 
approaching  that  which  they  have  on  solemn  foasts." 

"The  Nepissines,  otherwise  also  called  Nepissiniens,  the 
Amikouas,  and  all  tribes  allied  to  them  assert  that  the  Ami- 
kouas,  which  means,  Offspring  of  the  Beaver,  derive  their  origin 
from  the  carcass  of  the  Great  Beaver,  whence  came  forth  the 
first  man  of  that  tribe.  They  say  that  this  beaver  left  Lake 
Huron  and  entered  a  certain  river  called  French  River. 
When  water  was  beginning  to  tail,  he  constructed  some  dams- 
in  said  river,  vvbich  are  now  rapids  and  portages.  When  he 
came  to  the  river  which  rises  in  Lake  Nepissing,  he  crossed 
over  and  followed  several  other  rivulets  and  creeks,  which  he 
passed.  He  then  came  to  the  river,  which  isfcues  from. 
Outenulkame,  where  he  went  to  work  again  and  constructed 
dams  in  those  places,  where  he  did  not  find  enough  water. 
These  are  now  the  roads  and  rapids  where  a  person  is  obliged 
to  make  portages.  Having  thus  spent  several  years  in  his- 
voyages,  he  resolved  to  people  the  earth  with  children  whom 
he  left  there,  and  who  multiplied  wherever  he  had  passed  in. 
penetrating  the  creeks  which  he  had  discovered  on  his  way. 
Finally  he  arrived  below  the  calumets,  where  for  the  last  time 
he  made  some  dams.  Turning  back  on  his  tracks,  he  saw 
that  he  had  formed  a  beautiful  lake  (Lake  Superior)  and 
there  he  died.  They  believe  that  he  is  buried  north  of  the 
lake,  towards  a  place  where  the  mountain  resembles  the 
shape  of  a  beaver,  and  that  his  tomb  is  there,  and  for  this- 
reason  they  call  it  "The  place  where  reposes  the  slain 
Beaver."  When  Indians  pass  by  there  they  invoke  him  and 
blow  smoke  (from  their  pipes)  into  the  air  to  honor  his 
memory  and  to  beg  of  him  to  be  favorable  to  them  on  the 
voyage  they  have  to  undertake.  If  a  stranger  or  some  poor 
widow  in  want,  residing  near  these  Amikouas,  or  near  some 
one  of  their  family,  happen  to  see  a  branch  corroded  by 
some  beaver  during  night,  the  first  one  who  finds  it  at  the 
entrance  of  his  tent,  picks  it  up  and  carries  it  to  the  master 
of  the  family,  who  immediately  causes  a  collection  of  victuals^ 


to  be  made  for  this  poor  person,  because  he  is  mindful  of 
their  ancestors,  and  the  people  of  that  village  club  together 
with  a  good  will  to  make  a  present  to  him  who  has  done 
them  the  honor  of  reminding  them  of  their  origin  (namely, 
that  they  are  descended  from  the  Great  Beaver).  They  do 
not  practice  these  things  among  the  French,  as  they  ridiculed 
both  them  and  their  superstition." 


Indian  Feast  and  War  Dance,  from  Perrot's 

"  Memoire."* 

"  There  are  other  feasti?  in  use  a>nong  the  Indians,  in  which 
a  certain  kind  of  adoration  is  practiced,  in  consecrating  to  the 
pretended  divinity  not  only  the  meats  of  the  feasi,  but  a'so 
exhibiting  at  his  feet  the  contents  of  c.  leather  bag,  which 
they  call  *'the  war  bag,"  or  in  their  language,  their  *Tindi- 
kosean"  (Baraga,  Pindjigossan'),  which  contains  tlie  skins  of 
owls,  snakes,  white  birds,  parrots,  magpies  and  other  very 
rare  animals.  They  have  also  in  those  hags  roots  or  powders, 
to  be  used  as  medicines  (hence  the  name,  medicine-bag). 
Before  the  feast  they  always  fast,  without  either  eating  or 
drinking,  until  they  have  had  a  dream.  During  this  fast 
they  blacken  their  face,  shoulders  and  breast  with  coal;  they 
smoke,  however.  Some  are  said  to  have  fasted  twelve  con- 
secutive days — which  seems  incredible — and  others  less.  If 
they  dream  of  a  divinity  residing  on  or  under  the  ground, 
thev  continue  to  blacken  themselves,  as  has  been  said,  with 
coals;  but  if  they  dream  of  the  great  hare  or  of  the  spirits  of 
the  air,  they  wash  themselves  and  then  besmear  themselves 
with  black  earth;  from  that  very  evening  they  begin  the 
solemnity  of  the  feast. 

"  The  author  of  the  feast  invites  two  companions  to  assist 
him  at  the  feast  and  they  have  to  sing  with  him  in  order  to 
propitiate  the  divinity^  of  which  they  have  dreamt,  and  for 
which  the  ceremony  is  intended.    Formerly,  when  they  had 

1  "Memoire,"  pp.  11-19. 

2  W.  W.  Warren  (Minn.  Hlet.  Coll.,  vol.  V,  p.  68)  says:  "The  Ojibway  pin- 
jlgr-o-saun,  or  as  we  term  it,  "medici.ie  bag,"  contains  all  he  holds  most  sacred ; 
it  is  preserved  with  great  care,  and  seldom  ever  allowed  a  i.lace  in  the  com- 
mon vigwam,  but  is  generally  left  hanging  in  the  open  air  oa  a  tree,  where 
even  an  ignorant  child  dare  not  touch  it.  Its  contents  are  never  displayed 
-without  much  ceremony." 


197 


no  guns,  they  used  to  make  as  many  proclamations  (publio 
invitations  to  the  feast)  as  there  were  large  kettles  on  the  fire 
for  boiling  the  different  meats.  Then  the  author  of  the  feast 
begins  to  sing  with  his  two  assistants,  who  are  daubed  with 
vermilion  or  a  tincture  of  red.  This  son^  is  solely  sang  in 
honor  of  the  divinity  of  which  he  dreamed,  for  each  creature^ 
animate  and  inanimate,  has  its  own  peculiar  song  (by  which 
it  is  to  be  honored,  praised,  and  invoked).  They  continue 
singing  during  that  night  all  those  songs  that  are  sang  in 
honor  of  other  imaginary  deities,  until  all  the  guests  are 
assembled.  All  the  guests  being  assembled  the  feast-giver 
begins  to  intone  alone  the  song  which  belongs  to  the  god  of 
whom  he  dreamed. 

"  The  feast  consists  of  dog  meat,  as  the  flesh  of  a  dog  is 
considered  as  the  best  and  most  highly  prized  of  all  meats. 
Thev  add  several  other  kinds  of  meat,  for  instance,  that  of 
the  bear,  elk,  or  of  some  other  large  animal;  if  they  have  none 
they  supply  the  deficiency  with  Indian  corn  seflsoned  with 
fat,  whicFi  they  pour  upon  the  plate  of  each  guest.  You  will 
take  notice  that,  to  render  this  feast  solemn,  there  must  be 
a  dog,  whose  head  '  presented  to  the  principal  war  chief; 
the  other  parts  of  tha  animal  are  distributed  among  the  war- 
riors. When  the  meat  is  boiled  they  take  the  kettles  off  tLo 
fire  and  a  herald  makes  public  proclamation  in  the  villag?  to 
let  people  know  that  ihe  least  is  ready  and  that  now  every- 
one may  come.  The  men  are  allowed  to  come  with  their  arms 
and  the  old  men  each  with  his  plate.  They  are  not  ceremo- 
nious as  to  pl^ce,  sitting  promiscuously,  without  order^ 
wherever  they  like;  strangers  are  as  welcome  as  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  place,  they  are  even  served  the  first  and  are  given 
the  best  things  oi  the  feast. 

"  When  everyone  is  seated  at  his  place  the  author  of  this 
ceremony,  who  always  remains  standing,  assisted  by  his  two 
companions,  his  wife  and  children  having  seated  themselves 
on  both  sides  of  him  ornamented  with  their  best  trinkets, 
and  his  two  companions  armed  like  himself  with  a  javelin  or 
a  quiver  of  arrows,  raises  at  first  his  voice  so  as  to  make  him- 
self understood  by  all  present,  saying  that  he  offers  these 
viands  in  sacrifice  to  such  a  manitou,  naming  him,  and  that 
it  is  to  him  he  offers  them.  These  are  the  words  he  uses  : 
"  I  adore  and  invoke  thee  that  thou  mayest  be  favorable  to 
me  in  the  enterprise  I  have  on  hand,  and  that  thou  mayest 


198 

'liave  ;  >ity  on  nie  and  my  whole  family.  I  invoke  cM  the  bad 
and  good  spirits,  all  those  who  are  in  the  air,  on  the  earth,  and 
underneath,  that  they  may  preserve  me  and  my  party,  and 
that  we  may  be  able  to  return,  after  a  happy  voyage,  to  our 
country."  Then  all  present  answer  in  chorus,  "0  !  0  !"  These 
kinds  of  feasts  are  generally  only  got  up  on  an  occasion  of 
war  or  some  other  enterprise  agaiiist  their  personal  enemies. 
If  a  Frenchman  happens  to  be  present,  they  do  not  say,  "  / 
invoke  the  bad  spirits'''';  they  pretend  to  invoke  only  the  good 
manitouB.  The  words  they  use  in  these  invocations  are  so 
peculiar,  that  only  they  themselves  <nan  understand  them. 
They  usually  have  recourse  to  those  spirits,  whom  they 
imagine  to  be  the  most  ])Owerful  and  who  can  be  more  pro- 
pitious to  them  than  others.  They  even  imagine  that  they 
cannot  escape  the  accidents  that  may  happen  to  them  on  the 
part  of  their  enemies,  or  other  miofortunos,  if  they  have 
omitted  these  invocations. 

"  The  master  of  the  feast,  having  finished  his  invocations 
in  the  posture  above  described,  with  his  bow  and  quiver  of 
arrowB,  his  javelin  or  dagger,  assumes  a  most  furious  look, 
entones  bis  war  song,  and  at  each  syllable  that  he  pronounces 
makes  most  horrible  contortions  of  h^ad  and  body,  the  most 
terrible  that  can  be  seen.  All  this,  however,  is  done  accord- 
ing to  a  certain  rising  and  falling  inflection  of  the  voice;  for 
both  the  voice  and  the  body  accord  at  the  same  instant  with 
the  demonstrations  of  his  enmity,  which  show  that  his 
courage  grows  stronger  more  and  more,  waiking  always  ac- 
cording to  the  tunes  and  inflections  of  his  song  from  one  end 
of  the  place  to  the  other,  where  the  feasting  is  going  on. 
Thus  he  goes  back  and  forward  several  times  continuing  his 
gesticulations,  and  when  he  passes  before  the  guests,  who  are 
seated  on  the  ground  on  both  sides  facing  each  other,  they 
answer  his  war-song  without  discord,  shouting  in  one  voice, 
"  Ouiy !  Ouiy  I"  from  the  bottom  of  their  throat.  But  the 
most  agreeable  thing  in  their  inflections  occurs  when  in  cer- 
tain parts  of  hifi  song  he  pronotmces  two  or  three  syllables  a 
great  deal  faster  than  the  rest;  when  this  occurs,  all  present 
do  the  same,  answering  "  Ouiy  !"  quicker,  observing  the  tempo 
which,  the  cadence  requires.  This  is  observed  so  regularly, 
that  out  of  five  hundred  assembled  not  one  is  found  to  fail 
therein. 


199 

"  Ail  the  women,  children,  and  in  general  all  in  the  village 
who  were  not  invited  to  the  feast)  go  there  of  themselves,  in 
order  to  be  spectators  of  the  solemnity.  They  lose  eating 
and  drinking,  and  often  abandon  their  wigwams,  which  they 
thus  leave  exposed  to  be  plundered  by  other  Indians  who 
are  naturally  prone  to  stealing. 

"  After  the  master  of  the  feast  has  got  through  walking  and 
sing^ig,  he  assumes  the  same  posture  he  nad  heretofore. 
One  of  his  companions  now  takes  his  place  and  enacts  the 
game  drama,  which  he  saw  performed  a  moment  ago,  and 
after  he  gets  through,  he  joins  the  master  of  the  feaat.  The 
other  assistant  also  chants  in  his  turn,  and  after  him  all  the 
guests,  one  after  another,  and  they  endeavor  to  outdo  one 
another  in  assuming  most  furious  appearances.  While  sing- 
ing, some  fill  their  plates  with  hot  ashes  and  burning  coals, 
which  they  throw  upon  the  spectators  who  vociferate  in 
chorus  with  a  very  strong,  but  slow  voice,  "Ouiy  !"  Other 
seize  fire-brands  and  throw  them  up  into  the  air ;  others, 
.  again,  act  as  if  they  were  going  to  tomahawk  the  spectators. 
These  -ast  are  obliged  to  repair  the  affront,  offered  to  him 
whom  they  feigned  to  strike,  by  making  him  a  present  of 
vermilion,  knife,  or  some  ether  object  of  like  value.  Only 
such  warriors  as  have  slain  or  captured  an  enemy  are 
allowed  to  act  in  this  manner.  These  feints  signify  that  it  is 
thus  that  he  slew  the  enemy.  But  were  he  not  to  give  some- 
thing to  him  whom  he  might  chance  to  address  in  the 
company,  the  latter  would  tel?  him  before  all  present  that 
he  was  a  liar  and  never  capable  of  slaying  anybody,  which 
then  would  ^.over  him  with  shame. 

"  During  th^  singing  of  these  songs  they  show  themselves 
haughty,  intrepid,  and  ready  to  overcome  all  dangers  such 
as  they  have  heretofore  met  with  in  those  places  where  they 
bave  been  in  war.  When  they  stop  singing  at  certain  inter- 
vals, all  present  cry  out  in  chorus:  "  Ouiy  !"  After  hat  they 
continue  to  chant,  one  after  another,  each  in  his  turn,  some- 
times three  or  four  together.  When  doing  so,  they  station 
themselves  one  at  each  end  and  one  ir  the  middle  of  the 
place  where  the  feast  is  going  on ;  and,  walking  from  one 
end  of  the  cabin  to  the  other,  they  meet  without  losing  a 
single  note  of  their  song,  nor  changing  the  contortions  of 
their  face  and  body,  although  they  s:*ig  different  songs  with 
V  different  gestures.    The  guests  follow  the  singing  and  answer 


200 

in  their  turn  whenever  the  dancers  pass  before  them.  It 
must  be  remarked  that  each  man  has  hh  own  peculiar  song, 
neither  can  anyone  chant  his  comrade's  song  without  insult- 
ing him,  which  affront  would  draw  a  blow  of  the  tomahawk 
on  the  Head  of  him  who  had  thus  sung  the  war-song  of 
another,  that  being  the  greatest  insult  that  a  person  could 
offer  him  in  an  assembly  where  he  is  present.  This  war- 
song  of  his  cannot  be  sang  even  after  his  death  on  days  of 
solemnity,  unless  by  those  of  his  family  who  bear  his  name. 
On  ordir'^.ry  days,  when  no  feast  is  being  celebrated,  it  is 
lawful  to  sing  it  in  his  presence,  provided  the  singer  is  not 
sitting  at  the  time  and  that  he  knows  that  the  owner  of  the 
song  pretends  to  ignore  it  to  be  his. 

"  When  all  present  have  chanted,  those  who  have  been 
chosen  to  wait  upon  the  guests  first  take  the  plates  of  the 
strangers  which  they  fill  and  place  before  them.  They  then 
wait  upon  their  chiefs.  When  waiting  upon  the  chiefs  and 
the  strangers,  they  give  them  the  best  they  have  at  the  fee^t. 
They  deal  out  portions  to  the  other  guests  indiscriminately,, 
without  making  any  distinction,  aJl  of  whom  are  sitting  on  the 
ground,  which  serves  them  for  a  table,  and  there  they  hold 
the  plate,  brought  along,  between  their  legs.  Above  all,, 
everyone  must  come  provided  with  his  own  plate;  .Iherwise 
he  would  not  get  his  share.  Hence  they  never  tail  in  this^ 
the  Indian  being  naturally  too  gluttonous  to  forget  on  an 
occasion  liice  this  to  fill  well  his  belly. 

"  When  they  have  determined  to  make  a  general  march 
into  their  enemies'  country,  or  to  form  small  war-parties,  the 
leader  makes  a  feast  such  as  has  just  been  described.  Those 
who  feel  inclined  to  go  with  him,  meet  there  to  be  enrolled 
with  him,  for  he  would  not  be  accompanied  by  a  single  per- 
son if  he  had  not  first  feasted  them.  The  march  is  conducted 
according  to  his  orders.  As  long  as  it  lasts,  the  leader  has 
his  face,  shoulders  and  breast  blackened  with  earth  or  coal. 
He  is  also  v  y  careful  to  chant  every  morning  when  start- 
ing his  deat  -song  without  ever  failing  in  it  until  he  is  out  of 
danger,  or  Las  returned  to  his  village,  where  he  makes  again 
a  feast  in  case  no  evil  happened  him,  in  order  to  thank  the 
spirit  who  has  been  favorable  to  him  on  his  journey.  To 
this  feast  are  invited  the  chiefs  of  the  village  and  those  who 
accompanied  him  in  his  enterprise." 


201 

Indian  Marriages.* 

"  There  are  some  Indian  tribes  where  people  marry  to  live- 
together  until  death,  and  there  are  others  where  the  married 
sep.irate  whenever  they  like.^  The  Iroquois,  the  Loups 
(Mohikane,  Mohegans),  and  some  other  tribes  follow  the  last 
named  custom;  but  the  Ottawas  (Outaouas)  marry  to  live 
with  their  wives  all  their  life,  unless  a  very  strong  reason 
causes  the  husband  to  repudiate  his  wife.  For  without  such' 
a  reason  the  husband  would  be  exposed  to  the  danger  of 
beiujp  plundered  by  his  wife  and  of  suffering  thousand  in- 
dignities at  her  hands,  for  the  woman,  whom  he  hau  aban- 
doned to  marry  another,  would  put  herself  at  the  head  of 
her  relatives  and  take  from  him  what  he  had  with  him  and' 
what  could  be  found  in  his  lodge ;  she  might  pull  his  hair 
and  scratch  his  face,  and,  in  one  word,  there  is  nc  indignity 
or  affront  which  she  could  not  heap  upon  him  and  which  she- 
would  be  justified  in  inflicting  on  him,  and  that  without  his; 
being  able  to  prevent  her,  unless  he  would  be  willing  to  be- 
come the  scorn  of  the  village.  In  case  such  a  husband  does 
not  marry  somebody  else,  the  woman  he  has  deserted  may 
plunder  him  when  returning  from  the  chase  or  traffic,  leav-^ 
mg  him  but  his  arms,  and  even  these  she  at  last  takes  from 
him,  should  he  still  refuse  to  return  to  her.  But  if  he  car 
prove  that  she  was  unfaithful  to  him  before,  or  even  after 
leaving  her,  he  can  marry  someone  else  without  her  beiny 
able  to  complain  of  it.  The  wife  on  her  part  cannot  leave 
her  husband,  because  he  is  her  master,  as  he  has  bought  her 
and  paid  for  her.  Even  her  folks  cannot  take  her  away  from 
him,  and  if  she  leave  him,  custom  authorizes  him  to  kill) 
her  without  hinderance.  This  has  many  a  time  caused  war 
between  families,  who  were  determined  to  uphold  the  right 
of  the  husband  (in  slaying  his  wife)  when  she  would  not 
consent  to  return  to  him. 

1  "Meinoire,"  pp.  22,  23. 

2  The  writer  is  not  aware  of  any  particular  marriage  ceremony  among- 
our  pagan  Chippewit^s.  They  simply  come  and  live  together  for  life,  or  as 
long  as  they  can  agree.  They  have  very  loose  notions  in  regard  to  matri- 
mony, Hnd  for  very  slight  reasons  part  and  marry  somebody  else.  Polygamy 
is  very  rare,  but  divorces  and  adulterous  marriages  are  frequent.  They 
marry  without  much  consideration  and  readily  abandon  one  another.  Even 
among  the  Christians  the  standard  of  raorali«^y  is  very  low  in  many  places, 
especially  where  th^ay  come  in  frequent  contact  with  the  irreligious,  impure 
and  materialistic  oiviliz»<tion  of  this  country.  Invalid  marriages  are,  nine 
cases  out  of  ten,  the  cause  of  apostasy  on  the  part  of  Christian  Indians. 


202 

"  The  Iroquois,  the  Loupe,  and  some  other  tribes,  do  not 
act  like  the  Ottawas  towards  their  wives;  still  there  are  some 
who  never  part,  and  who  during  life  love  each  other  solely. 
But  the  far  greater  number,  especially  the  young,  only  marry 
tc  leave  one  another  whenever  they  think  proper.  They  will 
each  take  a  woman  during  a  voyage  of  hunting  or  of  traffick- 
ing and  divide  with  her  one-half  of  the  profit  they  may  have 
made.  A  man  can  even  make  a  bargain  with  a  woman  as  to 
what  he  will  give  her  for  the  time  he  intends  to  keep  her, 
with  the  understanding  that  she  is  to  be  faithful  to  him;  after 
having  made  the  yoyage  she  can  leave  him  again.  Still  there 
are  some  to  be  found  who  mutually  love  each  other  and  who 
always  remain  united,  especially  such  as  have  had  children 
together,  which  children,  according  to  Indian  custom,  belong 
to  the  mother,  as  they  always  live  mth  her,  that  is  males, 
until  they  are  able  to  get  married,  and  girls  until  their 
mother's  death.  Should  the  father  of  a  family  abandon  his 
wife,  the  children  he  had  by  her,  when  grown  up,  would  treat 
him  with  contempt  and  heap  reproaches  on  him  for  having 
abandoned  them  in  their  infancy,  having  left  to  their  mother 
the  care  and  trouble  of  raising  them." 


On  the  Mannex:  in  which  the  Indians  op  the  Lake  Supe- 
rior Country  conducted  their  Funeral  Ceremonies.^ 

"  When  an  Ottawa  or  other  Indian  is  about  to  die,  they 
bedeck  him  with  the  most  beautiful  trinkets  his  folks  have, 
I  mean  his  parents  and  relatives.  They  arrange  his  hair  and 
paint  it  with  red  paint  mixed  with  grease.  They  also  daub 
nis  body  and  face  with  vermilion,  and  put  a  shirt  on  him  of 
the  nicest  kind,  if  there  be  any  on  hand.  He  is  clothed  with 
a  jacket  and  blanket  of  the  richest  kind — in  one  word,  he  is 
dressed  as  gaudily  as  if  he  wore  to  give  a  great  feast.  They 
carefully  adorn  the  place  where  he  lies  with  strings  of  beads, 
circlets  (of  fancy  stuffs)  and  other  gewgaws.  His  arms  are  at 
hie  side,  and  at  his  feet,  generally,  all  that  he  used  in  war 
during  life.  All  his  relatives  and  especially  the  medicine-men 
are  about  him. 

1  "Memoire,"  pp.  38-36. 


by 


203 


It 


■'*  When  the  sick  man  appears  to  be  in  his  agony  and  on  the 
point  of  expiring,  his  female  relatives,  and  others  who  have 
been  hired  for  the  purpose,  begin  to  cry,  singing  mournful 
fiongs  in  which  mention  is  made  of  the  degree  of  relationship 
between  them  and  the  dying  man.  But  whenever  he  seems 
to  revive  and  regain  his  senses  they  cease  to  cry,  commencing, 
however,  their  wails  and  lamentations  over  again  as  often  as 
the  sick  man  falls  into  convulsions  or  gets  weak  spells. 

"  When  he  is  dead  or  a  moment  before  expiring,  they  place 
him  in  a  sitting  position  as  if  he  were  still  alive,  his  back 
being  supported.  I  will  say  here,  en  passant,  that  I  have  seen 
some  whose  death-agony  lasted  for  more  than  twenty-four 
hours,  and  who  made  terrible  grimaces  and  contortions,  their 
eyes  rolling  in  the  most  horrible  manner.  You  would  have 
believed  that  the  soul  of  the  dving  man  saw  and  noticed  some 
enemy,  although  he  was  senseless  and  almost  dead.  The  dead 
remain  in  a  sitting  position  till  the  next  day  and  are  kept  in 
this  posture  by  their  relatives  and  friends  who  come  to  see 
them.  They  are  also  assisted  from  time  to  time  by  an  old 
woman  who  places  herself  before  the  female  relatives  of  the 
deceased  there  present;  shedding  hot  tears  she  begins  a  lugu- 
brious song,  all  the  other  women  joining  in,  and  whenever 
she  stops  singing  they  do  the  same.  They  then  offer  her  a 
pi€3e  of  meat  or  a  plate  of  grain,  or  something  else. 

"  As  to  the  men,  they  do  not  weep,  that  being  considered 
unworthy  of  them.  Only  the  father  of  the  deceased  evinces 
by  his  mournful  song  that  there  is  nothing  in  the  world  that 
can  console  him  for  the  loss  of  his  son.  A  brother  does  t^e 
same  for  an  elder  brother,  if  he  has  received  from  him  during 
life  sensible  tokens  of  tenderness  and  friendship.  He  disrobes, 
daubs  his  face  with  coal  and  red  streaks.  He  has  his  bow  anjd 
arrow  in  hand  as  if  he  meant  to  attack  the  first  man  he 
would  meet.  Chanting  a  song  in  a  most  furious  mariner,  he 
runs  like  a  madman  through  the  place,  streets,  and  wigwams 
of  the  village  without  shedding  a  single  tear,  showing  to  all 
who  meet  him  how  great  is  the  sorrow  he  feels  at  the  loss  of 
his  brother.  This  moves  the  hearts  of  his  neighbors  to  com- 
passion and  engages  them  to  make  up  amone  themselves  a 
present  for  the  deceased,  declaring  in  the  harangue  that 
accompanies  it  that  this  present  is  given  to  dry  the  tears  of 
the  dead  man's  relatives,  and  that  the  mat  which  they  give 
him  is  intended  for  him  to  repose  on  (in  the  land  of  spirits); 


■■"*  ■    ^'-  ■ 


hm-- 


204 


if  the  gift  consists  of  bark  (birch-bark),  they  gay  it  is  intended 
to  preserve  his  body  from  the  injurious  eifects  of  the  weather 
(rain,  snow). 

"  When  they  are  about  to  bury  the  body,  they  go  for  the 
persons  chosen  for  this  function.  They  erect  a  scaffold  from 
seven  to  eight  feet  high,  which  is  used  instead  of  a  grave,  and 
on  it  the  body  is  placed.  If  he  is  to  be  buried  in  the  ground, 
they  dig  for  him  a  grave  of  only  four  or  five  feet.  During 
all  this  time  the  family  despoil  themselves  bringing  him 
grain  (corn,  wild  rice),  furs  or  other  merchandise  to  be  placed 
on  the  scaffold  or  near  his  grave.  This  done,  they  carry  there 
the  body  in  the  same  posture  he  had  when  dying,  and  with 
the  same  ornaments  (he  wore  at  that  time).  He  has  his  arm& 
near  him  and  all  that  had  been  placed  at  his  feet  before  dying. 

"After  the  funeral  ceremonies  are  over,  and  the  body  buried 
they  richly  pay  those  who  have  buried  him,  giving  them  a 
kettle  or  some  strings  of  beads  for  their  trouble. 

"All  the  people  of  the  village  are  obliged  to  assist  at  the 
funeral.  The  whole  being  concluded,  a  certain  man  present& 
himself  amongst  them  holding  in  his  hand  a  small  green  stick 
of  the  thickness  ot  a  thumb  and  about  iour  fingers  in  length. 
This  he  throws  into  the  midst  of  the  crowd.  The  great  point 
now  is  to  catch  the  green  stick;  if  it  falls  on  the  ground,  every 
one  scrambles  for  it  and  tries  to  pick  it  up,  pushing  and  pull- 
ing one  another  with  so  great  violence  that  in  less  than  half 
an  hour  it  has  passed  through  the  hands  of  all  those  present. 
If  finally  some  one  of  the  crowd  has  managed  to  possess  him^ 
self  of  it  and  shows  it  without  it  being  taken  from  him,  he 
sells  it  at  a  fixed  price  to  the  first  person  who  wants  to  buy 
it.  The  price  will  often  be  a  kettle,  gun  or  blanket.  The 
guests  are  then  told  to  meet  again  for  a  similar  ceremony,  the 
day  b^ing  appointed;  this  is  done  several  times,  as  I  have  said^ 

"After  this  game,  a  proclamatior  is  made  that  there  will  be 
another  prize  for  the  best  runner  among  the  young  men.  The 
race  course  is  indicated  from  the  place  whence  they  are  to 
start  until  the  spot  where  it  is  said  they  are  to  arrive.  All 
the  young  men  drees  and  form  a  long  line  in  an  ojpen  field. 
At  the  first  shout  of  the  man  appointed  for  that  office,  they 
start  to  run  for  some  distance  from  the  village  and  the  first 
one  who  arrives  at  the  other  end  bears  off  the  prize. 


a 


**  Some  days  afterwards  the  parents  of  the  deceased  get  ui> 
feast  consisting  of  meat,  corn  and  wild  rice,  to  which  all 


205 

"those  of  the  village  are  invited  who  are  not  their  relatives 
and  who  descend  from  families  different  from  theirs  (i.  e.  not 
having  the  same  totemic  mark).  Those  also  are  invited,  and 
that  especially,  who  have  made  presents  to  the  deceased. 
They  invite  to  it  strangers  from  other  villages,  if  any  such 
happen  to  be  present,  and  they  inform  their  guests  that  it  is 
the  deceased  who  gives  them  this  feast.  Should  the  feast 
consist  of  meat,  they  will  take  a  piece  and  this  has  to  be 
carried  to  the  grave  and  placed  on  it;  they  do  the  same  with 
other  kinds  of  food.  Women,  girls  and  children  are  allowed 
to  eat  these  things  (placed  on  the  grave)  but  not  grown  up 
men,  for  they  are  to  look  upon  this  as  unworthy  of  them. 
At  this  feast  every  one  is  at  liberty  to  eat  what  he  likes  and 
to  take  the  i est  home.  They  make  considerable  presents  in 
merchandise  to  all  those  strangers  who  previously  have  done 
the  same  to  the  deceased,  but  those  of  their  own  tribe  receive 
nothing.  '  They  are  then  thanked  for  having  remembered  the 
deceased  and  congratulated  on  their  charitableness." 


•■■i 


The  Manner  in  which  Indians  Conduct  the  Grand  Feast 

OF  THE  Dead.^ 

"  When  Indians  intend  to  have  a  feast  in  honor  of  their 
dead  they  carefully  make  the  necessary  arrangements  before- 
hand. Returning  home  from  their  traffic  with  the  Europeans 
they  bring  along  with  them  such  articles  as  are  suitable  for 
this  purpose  and  at  home  provide  themselves  with  meat, 
grain,  furs  and  other  things.  At  their  return  from  the  chase 
the  whole  village  meets  to  solemnize  this  feast.  When  once 
they  had  decided  to  celebrate  the  feast  of  the  dead,  they  send 
deputies  of  their  people  to  all  the  neighboring  villages  near 
by  (and  far  away)  some  of  them  more  than  a  hundred  leagues 
distant,  to  invite  them  to  assist  at  the  coming  feast,  telling 
them  the  time  fixed  for  said  celebration.  A  great  many 
people  of  the  so  invited  villages  start  then,  each  canoe  hold- 
ing several  pei-sons;  they  make  a  small  collection  of  goods 
among  themselves  in  order  to  make  thereof  a  present  in 
common  to  the  village  which  has  invited  them .  Those  who 
have  invited  them  prepare  for  their  coming  a  large  cabin, 

1    "Memoire,"  p.  37-40. 


i':;; 


206 

very  strong  ancj  well  covered,  in  order  to  receive  and  lodge 
all  those  wnom  they  are  expecting." 

"As  soon  as  all  have  arrived,  the  different  tribes  stand, 
separated  one  from  the  other,  in  the  center  of  the  large  cabin. 
Being  thus  assembled,  they  make  their  presents  and  give 
away  what  they  have,  saying,  that  they  have  just  been 
invited  to  render  homage  to  the  remains  of  the  dead  of  the 
village  and  to  their  memory.  Immediately  they  begin  to 
dance  to  the  sound  of  a  drum  and  of  a  gourd,  in  which  are 
small  holes  which  constantly  give  out  the  same  tune.  They 
dance  from  one  end  of  the  cabin  to  the  other,  one  behind 
the  other  in  single  file,  moving  around  the  three  fir  or  other 
trees  planted  there.  While  the  dancing  is  going  on,  some 
are  busy  in  the  kitchen  cooking.  Dogs  are  killed  and  boiled 
with  other  meats,  all  of  which  have  been  diligently  prepared. 
When  all  is  ready,  the  guests  are  made  to  rest  a  while,  and 
the  dance  being  now  stopped,  the  repast  is  served  up. 

"I  have  forgotten  to  remark  that  as  soon  as  the  dance 
stops,  the  presents  which  the  guests  have  made  and  all  their 
eflP'  ;ts  are  removed.  Their  hosts  give  them  other  presents 
of  greater  value  in  exchange.  In  case  they  have  lately  re- 
turned from  trafficking  with  Europeans,  the  presents  they  give 
will  consist  of  shirts,  head-gear,  stockings,  new  blankets,  or 
some  paints  and  vermilion,  though  the  guests  have  brought 
but  old  articles,  perhaps  green  hides,  furs  of  beaver,  of  wild 
cats,  bears,  or  some  other  animal. 

"  When  those  invited  from  other  villages  arrive,  the  same 
is  done  at  each  new  arrival  (of  guests)  and  the  same  re- 
ception is  given  to  the  people  of  each  village.  When  all  are 
assembled  they  get  them  to  dance  three  days  in  succession^ 
during  which  one  oi  those  who  called  them  to  the  feast  in- 
vites twenty  persons,  more  or  less,  to  a  least  at  his  place,  and 
then  a  certain  number  are  chosen  from  each  tribe  and  de- 
tached from  the  rest  of  the  tribe,  who  keep  on  dancing.  But 
instead  of  serving  them  with  victuals  at- this  feast,  they  give 
them  presents,  such  as  kettles,  hatchets,  and  other  articles; 
nothing,  however,  to  eat.  These  presents  then  become  the 
common  property  of  the  tribe;  should  they  consist  in  articles 
of  food,  they  may  eat  them  at  once,  which  they  do  very 
readily,  for  they  are  never  wanting  in  appetite.  Another  will 
do  the  same  in  regard  to  the  other  dancers;  they  will  be  in- 
vited to  come  to  his  lodge  (to  receive  presents).    Thus  they 


207 

treat  their  guests  till  all  of  the  village  have  given  in  their 
turn  such  kind  of  donation  feasts.  During  the  three  days 
that  the  dance  lasts  they  squander  all  they  have  in  the  line 
of  merchandise  or  other  goods  and  reduce  themselves  to  ex- 
treme poverty,  and  that  to  such  an  extent  that  they  do  not 
keep  for  themseh  es  even  a  hatchet  or  knife.  Oftentimes  all 
they  keep  is  but  an  old  kettle  for  their  use.  Their  intention 
in  making  these  donations  is  to  render  the  souls  of  the  de- 
parted more  happy  and  ]  mored  in  the  land  of  the  dead,  for 
they  believe  that  they  are  under  a  strict  obligation  to  comply 
with  all  that  is  observed  at  funeral  obsequies,  and  that  only 
such  kinds  of  donations  can  give- repose  to  the  departed.  It 
is  customary  with  them  to  give  all  they  have  without  reserve 
at  funeral  ceremonies  and  other  superstitious  performances. 
Some  of  those  who  have  imbibed  the  milk  of  religion  (be- 
come Christians)  have  not  entirely  abandoned  these  kind  of 
customs,  and  with  the  body  they  bury  all  that  belonged  to 
the  deceased  during  life.  Such  feaste  of  the  dead  were  for- 
merly celebrated  every  year,  each  tribe  in  its  turn  giving 
such  a  feast,  they  mutually  invited  then  one  another  to  the 
feast.  Since  some  years,  however,  these  things  are  no  longer 
practiced  among  some  of  them,  as  the  French,  who  have  much 
intercourse  with  them,  made  them  understand  that  this  use- 
less squandering  of  their  goods  ruined  their  families  and 
reduced  them  to  such  straits  as  not  to  have  even  the  neces- 
saries of  life. 


•i  i'.' 


Pagan  notions  in  regard  to  the  Immortality  of  the 
Soul  and  of  the  place  where  the  Dead  are  said 
to  reside  forever.* 

"All  pagan  Indians  believe  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul. 
They  maintain  that  the  soul,  after  leaving  the  body,  goes  to 
a  beautiful  prairie  country  where  there  is  neither  heat  nor 
cold  and  where  the  atmosphere  is  agreeably  tempsrate.  They 
say  that  country  is  full  of  animals  and  birds  of  all  kinds  and 
varieties.  Hunters  there  never  find  themselves  exposed  to 
hunger,  as  they  can  slay  and  eat  whatever  animal  they  like. 
They  assure  us  that  this  beautiful  country  is  very  far  away 

1    "Memoire,"  pp.  40-43. 


•        208 

on  the  other  side  of  the  earth.  Hence  they  place  provisions 
and  arras  on  the  graves  of  the  dead,  for  thev  believe  that  the 
departed  will  find  in  the  other  world  for  their  use  all  that 
has  been  given  them  in  this,  especially  on  the  voyage  they 
have  to  make.  > 

"  They  believe,  moreover,  that  as  soon  as  the  soul  has  left 
the  body  it  enters  this  charming  country,  and,  having 
traveled  several  days,  it  meets  on  its  way'  a  rapid  river,  over 
which  there  is  but  a  small  stick  to  croes  over.  When  walk- 
ing over  this  thin  stick  it  oends  so  much  that  the  soul  is  in 
danger  of  falling  into  the  water  and  being  carried  away  by 
the  current.  They  maintain  that,  should  this  accident  un- 
happily occur,  it  would  get  drowned,  and  that  all  these 
dangers  are  at  an  end  when  once  she  has  entered  the  land  of 
the  dead.  Thev  also  believe  that  the  souls  of  young  people 
of  both  sexes  have  nothing  to  fear  as  they  are  vigorous 
and  strong.  I^ut  it  is  not  the  same  with  those  of  the  old  and 
of  children,  when  not  assisted  at  this  dangerous  passage  by 
other  souls;  this  is  oftentimes  the  reason  why  they  perish. 

"  They  also  say  that  this  same  river  is  full  of  tish  beyond 
imagination.  Sturgeon  and  other  fish  abound  there,  which 
they  kill  with  their  hatchets  and  clubs  in  order  to  roast  them 
on  their  voyage,  for  after  leaving  the  river  they  no  longer 
meet  with  game.  After  having  traveled  for  quite  a  long  time 
they  come  to  a  very  steep  mountain,  which  obstructs  their 
passage  and  obliges  them  to  seek  another  elsewhere.  How- 
ever they  find  none,  and,  after  having  sufifered  a  great  deal, 
they  come  at  last  to  that  terrible  passage  where  two  pestles 
of  prodigious  size,  rising  and  falling  by  turns,  form  a  great 
difficulty  which  it  is  hard  to  surmount,  for  should  the  soul 
be  unhappily  caught  beneath,  that  is,  when  one  of  the  pestles 
is  just  falling,  it  would  surely  be  killed;  but  the  diseribodied 
spirit  watches  most  carefully  for  the  lucky  moment  (when 
one  of  the  pestles  goes  up)  to  slip  through  this  so  dangerous 
place.  Yet  many  get  caught  and  perish,  especially  the  souls 
of  old  people  and  children,  as  they  are  less  strong  and 
vigorous  and  rather  slow  when  trying  to  get  through. 

2  The  road  to  the  "Happv  hunting  grounds  of  the  dead"  is  called  Ke-wa- 
kun-ah,  "Homeward  road  ;  also  Cbe-ba-kun-ah,  "Ghost  road."  The  soul 
travels  till  she  comes  to  a  deep,  rapid  stream,  over  which  lies  the  much 
■dreacled  Ko-go-gaup-o  gun,  or  rolling  and  sinking  bridge;  once  safely  over 
this,  as  the  traveler  looks  back  it  assumes  the  shape  of  a  huge  serpent  swim- 
ming, twisting  and  untwisting  its  folds  across  the  stream. 


209 

"  Once  through  this  dangerous  passage  they  enter  a  charm- 
ing country  where  excellent  fruits  are  found  in  abundance. 
The  eround  is  covered  with  all  kinds  of  flowers,  the  odor  of 
'which  is  so  wonderlul  that  it  enchants  the  heart  and  charms 
the  imagination.  There  is  now  but  a  short  distance  to  make 
fio  as  to  arrive  at  the  place  where  the  noise  of  the  drum  and 
gourd,  keeping  time  to  the  songs  and  shouts  of  the  dead  at 
their  entertainment  (dance),  makes  itself  agreeably  heard. 
This  stimulates  them  to  run  most  eagerly  directly  towards 
the  place  whence  the  sound  of  the  happy  multitude  proceeds. 
The  nearer  they  come  the  louder  the  noise  becomes,  and  the 
delight  and  joy,  to  which  the  dancers  give  expression  by  con- 
tinual shoute,  ravish  the  new  comere  more  and  more.  When 
they  are  near  the  place  where  the  dancing  is  going  on,  a  cer- 
tain number  of  the  dead  leave  their  folio w-dancers  and  go  to 
welcome  them  and  manifest  the  great  pleasure  their  arrival 
causes  to  the  whole  company.  They  are  then  conducted  to 
the  place  where  the  dancing  is  going  on,  where  they  are  kindly 
received  by  all  those  present.  They  find  there  meats  of  all 
tastes  and  without  number.  Nothing  more  exquisite  or 
better  prepared  can  be  imagined.  Thev  can  eat  whatever 
they  liKe  and  pleases  their  appetite.  When  they  get  through 
they  mingle  with  the  rest  to  dance  and  enjoy  themselves  for- 
>ever,  without  being  any  longer  subject  to  grief,  inquietude, 
infirmities,  or  any  of  the  vicissitudes  of  mortal  life. 

"This  is  the  belief  of  the  Indians  in  regard  to  the  immor- 
tality of  the  soul.  It  is  a  dream,  a  chimera  of  the  most 
ridiculous  things  that  can  be  invented,  but  they  cling  to  this 
belief  with  so  great  obstinacy,  that,  when  a  person  wants  to 
convince  them  of  its  ridiculous  absurdity,  they  tell  the  Euro- 
pean who  speaks  to  them  about  these  things,  that  we  have  a 
particular  country  for  our  dead  (and  they  another  for  theirs). 
Having  been  created  by  spirits  who  lived  in  harmony  with 
one  another  and  who  were  mutual  friends,  they  (i  e.  the 
spirits  or  manitous  that  created  the  pale-faces)  had  chosen  in 
the  other  world  a  different  country  from  theirs  (that  is,  of 
the  departed  Indians,  each  race  having  a  heaven  for  itselt). 
They  say  that  it  is  an  indubitable  truth,  and  one  they  have 
learned  from  their  ancestors,  that  they  once  .  ent  to  war  into 
a  country  so  far  away  that  they  came  at  last  to  the  extreme 
«nd  of  the  earth.  They  then  passed  the  place  where  the 
large  pestles  keep  going  up  and  down,  as  I  have  described 


210 

above,  at  the  entrance  of  the  beautiful  land  of  the  dead. 
Having  paBsed  through,  they  heard  at  a  little  diBtance  the 
beating  of  the  drum  atid  the  sound  of  the  gourds  and, 
curiosity  having  impelled  them  to  go  on  a  little  further  to 
see  what  was  going  on,  they  were  discovered  by  the  dead, 
who  then  came  towards  them.  They  tried  to  flee,  but  were 
soon  overtaken  and  conducted  to  the  cabins  of  these  inhabi- 
tants of  the  other  world,  where  tney  were  well  received.  The 
dead  then  escorted  them  as  far  as  the  passage  of  the  pestles, 
which  they  stopped  so  as  to  enable  them  to  pass  through 
without  danger  (into  the  land  of  the  living).  Taking  leave 
of  them  they  told  their  living  countrymen  never  to  come 
back  there  again  till  after  death,  for  fear  some  misfortune 
might  happen  to  them." 


Ottawas. 

De  la  Motte  Cadillac,  in  1695  commander  at  Mackinaw,, 
wrote  that  the  Ottawas  were  divided  into  four  bands:  1,  the 
Kiskakons,  or  Queues  Coupees  ;  2*  the  Sable,  because  their 
old  residence  was  on  a  eandy  point ;  3,  the  Sinago,  or 
Outaou8-Sinageaux  ;  and  4,  the  Nassawaketon,  or  People  of 
the  Fork,  because  they  had  resided  on  a  river  which  had 
three  forks  or  branches,  perhaps  the  Chippewa  River  of  Wis- 
consin. Nassawaketon  was  the  Algonquin  word  for  a  river 
which  forked  (Minn.  Hist.  Coll.,  vol.  V,  p.  405).  LacCourte 
Oreille,  which  empties  by  Courte  Oreille  river  into  the  Chip- 
pewa, is  called  to  this  day  by  the  Indians  "  Ottawa-Sagaigan," 
Ottawa  Lake,  as  there  is  a  tradition  that  Ottawas  used  to  re- 
side on  the  shores  of  saM  lake.  The  Relation  of  1667  says- 
that  their  ancient  dwelling  place  was  near  Lake  Huron. 
They  used  to  go  by  way  of  Ottawa  River  to  Montreal  and 
Quebec,  and  thus  the  river  they  traveled  on  was  called  after 
them.  At  Father  Menard's  time,  1660,  a  large  body  of 
Ottawas  resided  at  Keweenaw  Bay.  Another  portion  had 
fled  with  a  band  of  Tionnontate  Hurons  to  the  Mississippi, 
and  had  settled  on  an  island  near  the  entrance  of  Lake  Pepin. 
Driven  away  bv  the  Sioux,  whom  they  had  foolishly  at- 
tacked conjointly  with  the  Hurons,  they  ascended  Black 
River,  Wis.,  at  the  headwaters  of  which  the  Hurons  built  & 


211 

fort,  while  the  Ottawas  pushed  on  to  F^ke  Superior^ 
and  settled  on  the  shores  of  Chequame^on  Bay,  between 
the  mouth  of  Fish  Creek  and  Ashland.  In  1670-71  they 
went  to  live  on  Manitouline  Island,  their  ancient  abode, 
where  the  Fathers  established  among  them  the  flourishing 
mission  of  St.  Simon.  At  present  they  reside  in  Michigan^ 
at  Grand  and  Little  Traverse,  Harbor  Springs,  and  elsewhere. 
Their  language  .strongly  resembles  the  Chippewa.  In  1668-^9 
Father  AUouez  succeeded  in  converting  the  Kiskakon  band 
of  Ottawas  at  Chequamego.i  Bay,  but  the  Sinagoes  and 
Keinouche's  (frotn  kinoje  or  kinosha,  a  pike)  remained  deaf 
to  the  voice  of  the  zealous  Father,  though  many  subse- 
quently embraced  Christianity  at  Green  Bay  and  Mackinaw. 
Father  Baraga  labored  among  them  at  Arbre  Croche  (Harbor 
Springs)  and  Grand  River,  baptizing  seven  hundred  or  more* 
At  present  their  spiritual  wants  are  attended  to  by  the 
Franciscan  Fathers  residing  at  Harbor  Springs. 


t- 
Ik 


POTl'AWATAMIES. 

The  Pottawatami  lived  on  the  peninsula  formed  by  Greerk 
Bay  on  the  west  and  Lake  Michigan  on  the  east.  They  and 
the  Winnebagoes  had  a  village  about  24  miles  above  the  spot 
where  the  city  of  Green  Bay  now  stands,  near  Little  Sturgeon 
Bay.  In  1641  they  were  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  fleeing  before 
the  face  of  the  Sioux.  In  1665  we  meet  with  them  at  Che- 
quamegon  Bay,  where  Father  AUouez  found  them  to  the 
number  of  three  hundred  men,  bearing  arms.  In  1668  they 
resided  on  the  Pottawatami  Islands,  in  Green  Bay.  They 
were  very  docile  and  friendly  disposed  to  Christianity,  be^ 
sides  being  more  humane  and  civilized  than  other  Indian 
tribes.  Wm.  W.  Warren  says  their  name  signifies,  "Those 
who  make  or  keep  the  fire,"  from  bodawe  or  potawe,  to  make 
a  fire,  from  the  fact  of  their  taking  with  them  or  perpetuating 
the  national  fire,  which,  according  to  tradition,  was  sacredly 
kept  alive  in  their  more  primitive  days. 

A  Pottawatami  band  settled  about  the  year  1721  on  the 
St.  Joseph's  River,  and  another  near  Detroit.  In  1830  V.  Rev. 
Frederic  Res6,  then  Vicar-General  of  Cincinnati,  afterwards 
first  bishop  of  Detroit,  visited  the  Pottawatamies  on  St. 


212 

Joseph's  river.  He  was  received  with  the  greatest  joy  by  the 
poor  Indians,  and  baptized  Pokegan,  a  Pottawatami  chief, 
and  twelve  others.  However,  the  Father  was  soon  obliged 
to  leave  to  attend  other  missions.  Pokegan  was  inconsolable. 
He  repaired  to  Detroit  on  the  1st  of  July,  1830.  *'  Father  I 
Father !"  he  exclaimed,  "  I  come  to  beg  you  to  give  us  a 
Black-gown  to  teach  us  the  word  of  God.  We  are  ready  to 
give  up  whiskey  and  all  our  barbarous  customs.  Thou  dost 
not  send  us  a  Black-gown,  and  thou  hast  often  promised  us 
one.  What  I  must  we  live  and  die  in  our  ignorance?  If 
thou  hast  ro  pity  on  us  men,  take  pity  on  our  poor  children, 
who  will  live  as  we  have  lived  in  ignorance  and  vice.  We 
are  left  deaf  and  blind,  steeped  in  ignorance,  although  we 
earnestly  desire  to  be  instructed  in  the  faith.  Father,  draw 
us  from  the  fire — the  fire  of  the  wicked  manitou.  An 
American  mi  nister  wished  to  draw  us  to  his  religion,  but 
neither  I  nor  any  of  the  village  would  send  our  children  to 
his  school,  nor  go  to  hi^  meetings.  We  havo  preserved  the 
way  or  prayer  taught  our  ancestors  by  the  Black-gown  who 
used  to  be  at  St.  Joseph.  Every  night  and  morning  my 
wife  and  children  pray  together  before  a  crucifix  which  thou 
hast  given  us,  and  on  Sundays  we  pray  oftener.  Tv/o  days 
before  Sunday  we  fast  till  evening,  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren, according  to  the  tradition  of  our  fathers  and  mothers, 
as  we  have  never  seen  a  Black-gown  at  St.  Joseph."* 

Faiher  Stephen  Badin  was  sent  them  in  August,  1830,  and 
by  January  he  had  three  hundred  Christians,  all  of  whom  con- 
fessed regularly,  besides  a  hundred  children  and  adults  bap- 
tized. In  a  few  years  there  were  from  1000  to  1200  fervent 
Ohristians.  In  September,  1838,  the  United  States  troops  sur- 
rounded the  Pottawatamies,  and  as  prisoners  of  war,  com- 
pelled them  to  remove.  They  were  deported  to  the  banks  of 
the  Osage  River,  where  Father  Petit,  their  pastor,  confided 
them  to  the  care  of  Father  J.  Hoecken,  S.  J.  On  the  sale  of 
their  lands,  the  United  States  government  allotted  the  Potta- 
watamies 5,000,000  acres  on  the  Missouri,  near  Council  Bluffs. 

1    Shea,  "Catholic  Missions,"  p.  394. 


213 

Sacs. 

The  country  of  the  Sacs  was  between  Lake  Huron  and 
Erie.  They  resided  for  a  long  time  in  Michigan,  near  Sagi- 
naw Bay,  on  the  Saginaw  and  Tittibewasse  Rivers.  After 
many  bloody  wajs  with  their  neighbors,  in  which  they  were 
well  nigh  annihilated,  they  were  driven  from  that  Stai;e  and 
settled  in  Wisconsin,  where  they  became  allies  of  the  Outa- 
gamiea  or  Foxes.  Father  Allouez  found  some  Sacs  at  Che- 
quamegon  Bay,  and  afterwards,  in  1669,  at  Green  Bay  and 
up  the  Fox  River,  where  they  had  a  village,  some  twelve 
miles  up  that  river.  They  were  a  very  warlike  and  barbarous 
race,  without  fixed  dwelling-places,  roaming  about  through 
the  woods.  On  the  4th  of  June,  1763,  the  Sacs  and  Chippe- 
was,  by  stratagem,  took  Fort  Mackinaw  and  killed  almost 
all  the  British  soldiers  of  the  garrison.  Their  last  great 
tribal  effort  was  made  conjointly  with  the  Foxes,  in  the  Black 
Hawk  war  of  1832.  Elact  Hawk  was  defeated  on  the  Wis- 
consin by  General  Dodge,  and  on  the  2d  of  August,  1832, 
Gen.  Atkinson  overtook  the  broken  fragments  of  his  array, 
and  attacked  them  on  the  bottoms  of  the  Mississippi,  a  few 
miles  below  the  mouth  of  Bad  Ax  River,  about  forty -five 
miles  above  Prairie  du  Chien,  and  totally  defeated  and  scat- 
tered them. 


OUTAGAMIKS  OR   FoXES. 

The  Foxes,  called  by  the  French,  "Renards,"  and  the  Chip- 
pewas,  "Oudagamig,"  call  themselves  "Moskwakig,"  from 
mosk  (Chipp.  misk)  red  and  aki,  land,  i.  e.  ''People  of  the  red 
land."  Father  Allouez  found  some  of  them  on  the  shores  of 
Chequamecon  Bay,  where  they  came  to  fish  and  trade.  They 
resided  along  the  Fox  and  Wolf  rivers  and  had  a  large  village 
near  New  London  and  another  at  Mukwa  or  a  little  below 
there  (the  Jatter  perhaps  a  corruption  of  Muskwaki,  their 
Indian  name),  on  the  Wolf  River,  Wisconsin,  where  Father 
Allouez  visited  them  in  April,  1670,  and  started  the  mission  of 
St.  Mark.  He  converted  several  of  the  tribe,  though  subse- 
quently the  mission  was  abandoned  on  account  of  the  hostile 
attitude  of  the  Foxes  towards  the  French.  Th  y  are  the  only 
Algonquin  tribe  on  whom  the  French  made  war. 


214 

The  Foxes  and  Chippewas  were  enemies  from  time  im- 
memorial and  many  a  bloody  battle  was  fought  between 
them.  An  Indian  tradition  relates  that  a  large  band  of  Foxes 
stealthily  landed  about  two  cenlaries  ago  or  more  on  the 
southeastern  extremity  of  Madeline  (La  Pointe)  Island  and 
captured  four  Chippewa  women.  Elatod  with  their  success 
they  hastily  embarked  in  their  small  canoes,  and  when  they 
thought  themselves  safe  from  pursuit  they  raised  a  defiant 
shout,  which  was  heard  by  the  Chippewas,  who  jumpi  Jl  into 
their  canoes.  A  thick  fog  covering  the  lake,  neither  party 
could  see  the  other;  but  the  Chippewas  were  guided  by  the 
noise  of  the  songs  and  shouts  of  their  enemies.  They  over- 
took the  Foxes  near  Montreal  River  and  a  naval  battle  ensued 
in  which  the  Chippewas  totally  defeated  and  annihilated  the 
Foxes.  Their  last  great  battle  with  the  Foxes  was  at  St. 
Croix  Falls,  where  under  their  great  war-chief,  Wau-boo-jeeg, 
they  defeated  the  combined  forces  of  the  Foxes  and  Sioux, 
reducing  the  former  to  fifteen  lodges,  who  were  then  incor- 
porated with  the  Sacs.  This  battle  occurred  about  1780. 
Wau-boo-jeeg,  the  Chippewa  leader  in  that  wai',  lived  on  +,he 
projection  of  land  near  Pike's  Bay,  above  Bayfield,  and  died 
in  1793. 

When  the  French  became  acquainted  with  the  Chippewas, 
ivhose  home  was  the  Sault  (whence  they  were  called  by  the 
French  Saalteur  or  Sauteurs,  now  Sauteux)  they  formed 
alliance  and  friendship  with  them  and  supplied  them  with 
fire-arms,  which  enabled  them  eventually  to  drive  the  Foxes 
out  of  northern  Wisconsin  and  the  Sioux  beyond  the  head- 
waters of  the  Mississippi. 


The  Illinois. 

Of  all  the  Algonquin  tribes  of  the  northwest  the  Illinois 
were  the  most  docile  and  susceptible  of  Christianity  Both 
Fathers,  AUouez  and  Marquette,  speak  most  highly  of  them. 
F'ather  Allouez  found  a  considerable  number  of  them  on  the 
Upper  Fox  River,  eome  nine  miles  from  where  Portage  City 
now  stands.  He  also  met  with  a  small  band  of  them  on 
Chequamegon  Bay,  where  they  told  him  such  wonderful 
things  about  their  beautiful  prairie  country,  that  he  burned 


215 


with  desire  to  visit  them,  the  more  so  as  they  evinced  such  un- 
common inclination  to  embrace  the  faith.  He  visited  them 
in  1670  at  the  Maskouten  village  near  Portage  City  and  was 
received  by  them  with  great  joy.  They  immediately  pre- 
pared a  feast.  A  venerable  old  man  then  addressed  him  in 
the  following  words:  "How  good  it  is,  Black-gown,  that  thou 
hast  come  to  visit  us.  Have  pity  on  us;  thou  art  a  manitou 
(a  god),  we  offer  thee  to  smoke.  The  Nadouessious  (pron. 
Nah-doo-wes-see-oo,  Sioux)  and  the  Iroquois  are  eating  us; 
have  compassion  on  us.  \Ve  are  often  sick,  our  children  die, 
we  suflfev  hunger.  Hear  me,  Manitor.,  I  offer  thee  to  smoke; 
may  the  earth  yield  us  corn  and  the  rivers  fish ;  may  sickness 
not  kill  us  and  famine  not  be  so  hard  on  us."  At  each  in- 
vocation the  old  men  present  answered  with  a  loud  ''01  0  !" 
the  same  as  "Amen."  Father  Allouez  was  horrified  at  thus 
receiving  divine  honors  from  these  poor  ignorant  but  well- 
meaning  people.  He  preached  to  them  most  fervently,  telling 
them  that  he  was  not  the  Manitou,  the  master  of  their  lives, 
but  that  he  obeved  Him  and  carried  His  word  all  over  the 
land.  Father  Marquette  passed  by  this  mission  in  June,  1673, 
when  on  his  way  to  discover  and  explore  the  Mississippi.  He 
stayed  there  from  the  7th  till  the  10th  of  June,  and  was  much 
pleased  to  see  in  the  midst  of  the  village  a  large  cross,  to 
which  were  attached  quivers  with  arrows  and  other  Indian 

{H'esents,  in  thanksgiving  to  God  for  having  prospered  their 
ast  winter's  chase.  At  the  mouth  of  Des  Moines  River  the 
same  Father  found  a  large  settlement  of  Peorias,  another 
branch  of  the  Illinois  tribe,  where  he  was  received  with  the 
greatest  joy  and  respect.  In  167-^  he  founded  the  mission  of 
the  Immaculate  Conception  among  the  Kaskaskias,  another 
Illinois  trifle,  on  the  Illinois  River,  where  he  offered  up  the  holy 
Mass  on  Holy  Thursday  and  Easter  Sunday,^  and  preached 
the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ  to  an  immense  concourse  of  people. 
The  Illinois  were  for  a  time  under  the  care  of  two  Recollect 
Fathers  of  the  Order  of  St.  Francis,  namely,  Gabriel  de  la 
Ribourde  nnd  Zenobius  Membre.  On  September  th»  9th, 
1680,  Father  Gte,brif4  was  ruthlessly  murdered  by  somt^  Kick- 
apoo  Indians.  Father  Sebastian  R^le,  who  was  afterwards 
killed  in  his  Abnaki  Mission  in  the  State  of  Maine  by  an 
English  and  Indian  war-pariy,  and  Father  Gravier  labored 

1   The  first  holy  Mass  offered  up  on  Illinois  soil  was  most  probably  said  by 
Father  Marquette  about  the  20tb  of  June,  1673,  on  his  voyagre  of  discovery. 


216 

in  Illinois.  Father  Marest  was  stationed  at  Kaskaskia  1700- 
1712,  laboring  with  great  fruit.  Many  other  apostolic  men 
worked  successfully  for  t2ie  conversion  of  the  various  trib.e8- 
in  Illinois. 


Chippewas,  La  Pointe. 

The  Outchibouec,  called  also  Otchipweg,  Ojibways  and 
Chippewas,  are  a  numerous  tribe,  inhabiting  both  the  north 
and  south  shores  of  Lake  Superior,  British  America,  Michi- 
gan, Wisconsin  and  eastern  Minnesota.  They  are  often  called 
Saulteurs,  Sauteurs,  and  Sauteux,  from  the  Sault,  their  origi- 
nal home,  rhey  heard  the  first  tidings  of  Christianity  from 
Fathers  Jogues  and  Raymbaut,  in  1642,  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie, 
at  the  great  Indian  feast  of  the  dead.  According  to  their 
traditions  they  came  to  La  Pointe  Island  about  four  centuries 
ago,  circa  1492.  They  had  a  large  flourishing  town  on  the 
southeast  end  of  the  island,  where  they  had  cleared  a  large 
tract  of  land  and  raised  a  great  deal  of  corn  and  pumpkins. 
In  the  early  part  of  the  seventeenth  century,  about  the  year 
1612,  they  suddenly  abandoned  their  island  through  a  super- 
stitious fear  that  it  was  haunted  by  ghosts.  Many  of  them 
went  back  to  the  Sault  (pron.  Sooh  others  settled  at  the  west 
end  ot  Lake  Superior,  where  Fatner  Allouez  found  them^ 
between  ltt65-67,  probably  near  Superior  City.  After  the 
various  tribes,  whom  the  fear  of  the  Iroquois  had  driven  to 
Chequamegon  P'^y  and  the  Apostle  Islands,  had  left  in  1670- 
71,  the  Chippewas  of  the  south  shore  gradually  returned  and 
settled  on  the  mainland,  where  Bayfield  now  stands,  also  at 
Pike's  Bay  and  along  the  shore  of  Chequamegon  Bay.  Many 
also  resided  at  Chequamegon  Point,  Odanah,  at  the  head  of 
the  bay  and  near  Michael  Dufault's  place.  At  an  early  date, 
probably  already  in  1696,  tha  French  built  a  fort  on  La 
rointe  Island.  The  location  of  the  old  French  fort  is  involved 
in  obscurity.  Hon.  Wm.  W.  Warren  claims  that  is  was 
built  at  Middlelbrt,  near  the  old  Indian  cemetery.  Tradition — 
the  name,  "  Old  Fort " — seems  to  point  to  the  southeastern 
end  of  the  island  as  the  site  somewhere  near  the  place  where 
Michael  Cadotte  built  his  trading  post  and  fort  in  1782.  For 
many  years  the  American  Fur  Company  had  a  flourishing 


217 

trading  post  on  the  island,  and  La  Pointe  was  then  one  of 
the  largest  towns  of  Wisconsin.  It  is  now  but  a  historic 
relic,  a  most  beautiful  place  for  a  suinnier  resort,  a  plaoe  in- 
tended by  nature  for  quiet  enjoyment,  rest,  meditation  and 
prayer.  We  hope  it  will  never  be  transformed  into  a  modern 
town  with  its  noise,  dirt,  manure-piles,  stinking  oyster-cans 
and  empty  beer-kegs  in  the  gutters. 

Here  two  treaties  were  made  with  the  Chippewa  Indians, 
one  in  1842  and  the  last  in  1854,  by  which  they  ceded  ail 
their  remaining  lands  ii^  Wisconsin,  and  also  large  tracts  in 
Minnesota  and  Michigan,  to  the  United  States  for  a  considera- 
tion, perhaps  not  the  one-thousandth  part  of  their  actual 
value.  To  give  some  idea  of  the  wretched  condition  of  the 
poor  Indians,  which  made  them,  so  to  say,  give  away  for 
trifling  annuities,  large  tracts  of  the  most  valuable  agricul- 
tural, pine  and  mineral  lands,  the  value  of  which  they  never 
knew  or  realized,  but  which  was  well  comprehended  by  the 
grasping  "Kitchi  Mokoman" — "Big  Knife,"  American,  we 
append  here  the  concluding  remarks  of  two  of  their  Chiefs, 
Esh-ke-bug-e-coshe  and  Nay-naw-ong-ga^-bee. 

At  a  treaty  made  at  the  Mississippi,  in  1855,  the  Chief 
Esh-ke-bug-e-coshe,  "Wide  Mouth,''  made  the  following  re- 
marks in  answer  to  the  refusal  of  the  government  agents  to 
accept  a  proposition  of  the  chiefs,  to  sell  their  lands  at  a 
price  douole  that  offered  them  by  the  agent.  He  said*: 
"  My  father,  I  live  away  north  on  tne  headwaters  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi; my  children  (band)  are  poor  and  destitute,  and,  as 
it  were,  almost  naked,  while  you,  my  father,  are  righ  and  well 
clothed.  When  I  left  my  home  to  come  to  this  treaty  to 
sell  my  lands— /or  we  know  that  we  mxist  sell  for  what  we  can 
get — the  whites  must  have  them — my  braves,  young  men,  women 
and  children,  held  a  council  and  begged  of  me  to  do  the  best 
I  could  in  selling  their  homes;  and  now,  my  father,  I  beg  of 
you  to  accept  of  the  proposition  I  have  made  you,  and  to- 
morrow I  will  start  for  home;  and  then  you  count  the  days 
which  you  know  it  will  take  me  * )  reach  there,  and  on  the 
day  of  my  arrival  look  north,  and  as  you  see  the  northern 
lignts  stream  up  in  the  sky,  imagine  to  yourself  that  it  is 
the  congratulation  of  joy  of  my  children  ascending  to  God, 
that  you  have  accep-ed  of  the  proposition  I  have  offered 
you." 

1    Wis.  Hlft.  CoU.  vol.  11,  pp.  818-314. 


218 

At  the  treaty  made  in  La  Pointe,  in  1854,  Nay-naw-ong- 
gay-bee,  the  "  Drepsing  Bird,"  one  of  the  head  chiefs  of  the 
Courte  Oreille  band  of  Chippewas,  made  a  speech  expatiating 
on  the  destitute  condition  of  his  people,  who  were  abjectlv 
poor,  many  of  the  childi^jn  being  perfectly  naked.  We  will 
only  insert  his  concluding  remarks:  "  My  father,  look  around 
you,  upon  the  faces  of  my  poor  people;  sickness  and  hunger, 
whiskey  and  war  are  killing  us  fast.  We  are  dying  and  fading 
away;  we  drop  to  the  ground  like  the  trees  before  the  ax  of 
the  white  man ;  we  are  weak,  vou  are  strong.  We  are  but 
foolish  Indians — you  have  wisdom  and  knowledge  in  your 
head;  we  want  your  help  and  protection.  We  have  no 
homes,  no  cattle,  no  lands,  and  we  will  not  need  them  long.  A 
few  short  winters,  my  people  will  be  no  .  .ore.  The  winds 
rhall  soon  moan  around  the  last  lodge  of  your  red  children. 
I  grieve,  but  cannot  turn  our  fate  away.  The  sun,  the  moon, 
the  rivers,  the  forests,  we  love  so  well,  we  must  leave.  We 
shall  soon  sleep  in  the  ground — we  will  not  awake  again.  I 
have  no  more  to  say  to  you,  my  father."  We  doubt  whether 
anything  more  simple,  touching  and  sad,  was  ever  uttered 
by  a  white  speaker. 


Grees  and  Sauteux  of  British  America;  their  customs, 
language  and  superstitions. 

The  Crees  have  always  been  intimately  united  with  the 
Chippewas ;  their  langus^ges  are  very  much  alike,  and  they 
have  the  same  usages  and  superstitions.  They  inhabit  a 
large  part  of  British  America,  especially  on  both  sides  of  the 
Saskadjiwan.  Father  Belcourt,*  a  zealous  missionary  of 
British  America,  who  spent  a  great  portion  of  his  life 
among  the  Indians  of  that  country  and  knew  their  language 
and  customs  well,  speaking  of  the  Crees  and  Sauteux 
(Chippewas  of  that  region),  says  : 

"Their  principal  religious  meeting  takes  place  every 
spring,  about  the  time  when  all  the  plants  begin  to  awaken 
from  tneir  long  winter  sleep,  and  renew  their  life  and  com- 
-xience  to  bud.    The  ticket  of  invitation  is  a  piece  of  tobacco 

1    Father  G.  A.  Belcourt,  in  Annals  of  Minn.  Hist.  Soo.  for  1868,  vol.  IV. 


£ 


219 


Bent  by  the  oldest  person  o^  the  nation,  indicating  the  place 
of  renaezvous  to  the  principal  persons  of  the  tribe.  This  is 
a  national  feast  in  which  every  individual  is  interested,  it 
being  the  feast  of  medicines.     Each  head  of  a  family  is  the 

Ehysician  of  his  children,  but  he  cannot  become  bo  without 
aving  received  a  preliminary  instruction  and  initiation  into 
the  secrets  of  medicine.  It  is  at  this  feast  that  each  one  is 
received.  All  the  ceremonies  which  they  perform  are  em- 
blematical and  signify  the  virtues  of  plants  in  the  cure  of 
various  maladies  of  man. 

"Another  superstition,  prop'er  to  cure  evils  which  have 
place  more  in  the  imagination  than  in  the  body,  is  the  Nibi- 
fntoin.  It  consists  in  drawing  out  the  evil  directly,  in  draw- 
ing the  breath  and  spitting  in  the  eyes  of  the  sick  person. 
The  pretended  cause  of  suffering  is  sometimes  a  stone,  a 
fruit,  the  point  of  an  arrow,  or  even  a  medicine  wrapped  up 
in  cotton.  One  cannot  conceive  how  much  these  poor  people 
submit  with  blind  faith  to  these  absurdities. 

"  Lastly,  curiosity  and  the  desire  of  knowing  the  future, 
has  invented  the  Tchissa'fnwin.  It  consists  of  certain 
formalities,  songs,  invocation  of  spirits,  and  bodily  agitations, 
which  are  so  energetic  that  you  are  carried  back  to  the  times 
of  the  ancient  Sybils;  they  seem  to  say  to  you,  Deusj  ecce  Dms, 
and  then  submitting  to  the  questions  of  the  spectators, 
they  always  have  a  reply,  whtther  it  be  to  tell  what 
passes  at  a  distance,  or  reveal  the  place  where  objects  which 
nave  been  lost  may  be  found.  As  the  skill  of  the  prophet 
consists  in  replying  in  ambiguous  terms  upon  all  subjects  of 
which  he  has  not  been  able  to  procure  information  in  ad- 
vance, he  is  always  sure  of  success,  either  more  or  less  strik- 
ing. 

"  Dreams  are  for  the  Sauteux  revelations  ;  and  the  bird, 
animal,  or  even  a  Ptone,  or  whatever  it  may  be,  which  is  the 
principal  subject  of  the  dream,  becomes  a  tutelary  spirit,  for 
which  the  dreamer  has  a  particular  veneration.  As  dreams 
are  more  apt  to  visit  a  sick  persen,  when  the  brain  is  more 
subject  to  these  abberations,  many  such  have  a  number  of 
drearrs,  and  consequently  many  tutelary  spirits.  They  keep 
images  and  statues  in  their  medicine-bags,  and  never  lose 
eight  of  them,  but  carry  them  about  wherever  they  go.  The 
faith  of  the  Sauteux  in  their  medicine  is  such  that  they  be- 


I 


220 

lieve  a  disease  can  be  thrown  into  an  absent  person,  or  that 
certain  medicines  can  master  the  mental  inclinations,  such  ad 
love  or  hatred.  Thus  it  is  the  interest  of  these  old  men  to 
pander  to  the  ^oung. 

"  Their  writings  are  composed  of  arbitrary  hieroglyphics, 
and  the  best  writer  is  he  wno  is  most  skillful  in  usins  such 
signs  as  most  fully  represent  his  thoughts.  Though  this 
manner  of  writing  is  very  defective,  it  is  nevertheless  in- 
genious and  very  useful,  and  has  this  advantap^e  over  all 
other  languages,  since  it  depicts  the  thoughts  and  not  the 
word,  just  as  figures  represent  numbers  in  all  languages. 

"  Though  the  Sauteux  have  no  idea  of  the  state  they  shall 
find  themselves  in  after  death,  they  believe  in  the  existence 
of  a  future  life.  They  have  very  strange  ideas  on  this  sub«- 
ject ;  in  consequence  of  some  cf  these,  they  place  near  the 
deceased  his  arms  and  the  articles  most  necf  ssary  to  life. 
Some  have  even  gone  so  far  as  to  have  their  best  horse  killed 
at  their  death,  in  order,  as  they  said,  to  use  him  in  traveling 
to  the  country  of  the  dead.  It  is  the  general  belief  that  the 
spirit  returns  to  visit  the  grave  very  often,  so  long  as  the 
body  is  not  reduced  to  dust.  During  this  space  of  time,  it  is 
held  a  sacred  duty,  on  the  part  of  the  relatives  of  the  de- 
ceased, to  make  sacrifices  and  offerings,  and  celebrate  festi- 
vals before  the  tomb.  In  the  time  of  fruits,  they  carry  them 
in  grea*  abundance  to  the  tomb,  and  he  who  nourishes  himr 
self  with  them  after  they  have  been  deposited  there,  causes 
great  joy  to  the  parents  and  -elations  of  the  deceased. 

"  The  Sauteux  have  also  some  knowledge  of  astronomy  ; 
they  have  names  for  the  most  remarkable  constellations ; 
they  have  names  also  for  the  lunar  months;  but  their  calcu^ 
lations,  as  can  be  conceived,  are  very  imperfect,  and  they 
often  find  themselves  in  great  embarrassment,  and  have  re- 
course to  us  to  solve  their  difficulties.  The  electric  fluid 
manifested  in  thunder,  the  rays  of  light  of  the  Aurora 
Borealis  are,  in  their  imagination,  animated  beings ;  the 
thunders,  according  to  them,  are  supernatural  beings,  and 
the  rays  of  the  Aurora  Borealis  are  the  dead  who  dance. 

"  Their  idea  of  the  creation  of  the  world  goes  no  further 
back  than  the  deluge,  of  which  they  have  still  a  tradition. 

the  narration  of  which  would  fill  volumes I  will  tell 

the  part  which  relates  to  the  creation.  'An  immortal  genius 
(demi-god),  seeing  the  water  which  covered  the  earth,  arid 


221 


le 
id 

ler 
In, 


finding  nowhere  a  resting  place  for  his  foot,  ordered  a  beaver, 
an  otter,  and  other  amphibious  animals,  to  plunge  by  turns 
into  the  water  and  bring  up  a  little  earth  to  the  surface. 
They  were  all  drowned.  A  (musk)  rat,  however,  succeeded 
in  reaching  the  bottom,  and  took  some  earth  in  his  paws, 
but  he  died  before  he  got  back;  yet  his  body  rose  to  the  sur- 
face of  the  water.  The  genius,  Nenabojou  (Ma-nah-bo-sho), 
fleeing  that  he  had  found  earth,  brought  him  to  life,  and  em- 
ployed him  to  continue  the  work.  When  there  was  a  suffi- 
aent  quantity  of  earth,  he  made  a  man,  whom  he  animated 
with  his  breath.'  This  genius  is  not  the  Great  Spirit  (Kitchi 
Manitou),  of  whom  they  never  speak,  except  with  respect ; 
while  Nenabojou  is  considered  a  buflfoon  of  no  gravity. 

"  The  Sauteux  have  a  great  passion  for  gambling.  They 
pass  whole  days  ani  nights  m  pla^,  staking  all  they  have, 
even  their  guns  and  traps,  and  sometimes  their  horses;  they 
have  staked  even  their  wives  upon  the  play. 

"  Their  love  of  intoxicating  liquors  is,  as  among  all  other 
savage  tribes,  invincible.  A  Sauteux,  who  was  convinced 
of  religion,  wished  to  become  a  Christian;  but  he  ccuid  not 
be  admitted  without  renouncing  indulgence  in  drinking  to 
excess.  He  complained  bitterly  that  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany had  reduced  his  people  to  such  a  pitiable  state  by 
cringing  rum  into  the  country,  of  which  thpy  would  never 
have  thought  if  they  had  not  tasted  it. 

"The  Sauteux  are  one  of  the  most  warlike  of  nations. 
From  time  immemorial,  they  have  had  the  advantage  over 
their  numerous  enemies,  and  pushed  them  to  the  North. 
They  treat  the  vanquished  with  most  horrible  barbarity  xi 
is  then  that  they  are  cannibals  ;  for,  though  we  see  some- 
times among  them  cases  of  anthropophagy  (cannibalism), 
they  have  such  a  horror  of  it,  that  he,  who  has  committed 
this  act,  is  no  longer  sure  of  his  life.  They  hold  it  a  sacred 
duty  to  put  him  to  death  on  the  first  favorable  occasion. 
But  during  war  they  make  a  glory  of  cannibalism.  The 
feast  of  victory  is  very  often  composed  of  human  flesh.  One 
sees  a  trait  of  this  barbarity  in  the  names  they  give  to  their 
principal  enemies,  as  for  instance  the  Sioux,  whom  they 
call  "  Bwanak."  As  I  remarked  before,  it  is  not  rare  that 
they  add  to  or  retrench  a  little  their  proper  names,  which 
renders  their  interpretation  rather  difficult  for  strangers.  In 
the  word  that  I  have  mentioned,  bioan  is  put  for  ahwanj 


li. 


222 

which  sigiiifiee  a  piece  of  flesh  put  on  the  spit.  Thus  the 
word  Ahwanak,  which  they  have  shortened  by  calling  Bwanak, 
signifies  those  whom  one  roasts  on  a  spit.  In  their  great 
war-parties,  after  the  victory,  the  Sauteux  build  a  great  fire, 
then  plant  all  around  spits  laden  with  the  thighs,  heads, 
hearts,  etc.,  of  their  enemies,  after  which  they  return  home." 

What  Father  Belcourt  says  ot  the  Sauteux  and  Crees  of 
British  America,  can  be  applied  in  a  great  measure  to  the 
other  Indian  tribes  that  resided  in  the  St.  Lawrence  valley 
and  in  the  country  of  the  "  Great  Lakes."  More  than  one 
Catholic  missionary  and  many  a  poor  Frenchman  has  been 
burnt  to  death  at  the  stake,  and  their  bodies  devoured  by 
the  Iroquois  of  New  York.  Perrot  tells  how  four  Sioux  were 
made  soup  of  by  the  Ottawas  in  their  village  on  Chequame- 
gon  Bay  in  the  winter  of  1670-71.  The  Chippewas  of  the 
South  Shore  are  more  civilized  than  those  of  the  North,  and 
never  indulge  in  the  horrible  practice  of  cannibalism,  which 
they  abhor  and  detest  as  much  as  the  whites. 


Sioux,  CALLED  BWANAQ MEANING   OF  THE  WORD. 

The  "Bwalag"  of  the  "Relations"  are  the  same  people  whom 
the  Chippewas  still  call  ''  Bwanag,"  i.  e.  Sioux.  The  "  Re- 
lation "  of  1660,  p.  13,  says  that  the  word  Bwalag  or  Bwanag 
means  warriors.  It  is  uncertain  whether  the  word  Bwanag 
is  Chippewa  or  derived  from  some  other  Algonquin  dialect. 
Wm.  W.  Warren,  a  Chippewa  half-breed  well  educated,  says 
the  word  is  Chippewa,  and  is  an  abbreviation  of  Abwanagj 
meaning  "Roasters,"  from  "mwd  abive,^^  I  roast,  abwan,  a  roast. 
The  Ottawas  call  the  Sioux  "Nadowessi,"  i.  e.  'Little  Adder," 
the  diminutive  of ''nadowe"  an  adder,  which  name  they  give 
to  the  Iroquois,  their  fearful  enemies  of  old  in  the  east,  which 
appellation  significantly  expresses  the  sneaking,  treachero  ifl, 
serpentine,  and  cruel  disposition  of  the  Iroquois  tribe. 

The  Sioux  call  themselves  Dakotas;  Nicolas  Perrot  in  his 
"Memoirtj"  calls  them  Sioux,  an  abbreviation  of  Nadoues^ 
8umx\  Father  AUouez  calls  them  Nadouessiouek,  and  Mai- 
quette,  Nadouessi  (Nah-doo-wes-see).  They  are  described  in 
tne  "'Relations"  as  a  very  powerful  and  warlike  tribe,  living 
some  40-50  leagues  west  of  La  Pointe  du  Saint  Esprit.   Father 


223 

Allouez  first  met  with  them  at  the  west  end  of  Lake  Superior, 
near  Duluth  or  Superior.  In  167 1  they  drove  the  Ottawas 
and  the  Hurons  from  the  shores  of  Chequamegon  Bay.  They 
were  almost  continually  at  war  with  the  Chip pe was,  by 
whom  they  were  gradually  driven  out  of  Wisconsin  and 
eastern  Minnesota,  beyond  the  Mississippi,  and  the  latter 
occupied  their  fine  hunting  grounds  near  Red  Lake,  Leech 
Lake  and  vicinity,  Minnesota.  In  1862  the  Sioux  massacred 
about  700  whites,  most  of  them  industrious,  inoffensive  Ger- 
mans. In  1876,  led  by  Sitting  Bull,  they  completely  an- 
nihilated General  Custer's  forces.  They  have  been  removed 
to  Dakota,  where  missionaries  ar*"  Hboring  at  Christianizing 
them. 


Mode  op  life  among  the  Sioux. 

We  insert  the  following  lines  taken  from  an  article  of  Ed- 
ward D.  Neill,  in  "Annak  of  the  Minn.  Hist.  Soc.  for  1863, 
Number  IV": 

"  The  heathen  in  their  manner  of  life  are  essentially  the 
same  all  over  the  world.  They  are  all  given  to  uncleanness. 
As  ^ou  walk  through  a  small  village,  in  a  Christian  land,  you 
notice  many  appearances  of  thrift  and  neatness.  The  day- 
laborer  has  his  lot  fenced  and  his  rude  cabin  whitewashed. 
The  widow,  dependent  upon  her  own  exertion  and  alone  in 
the  world,  finds  pleasure  in  training  the  honeysuckle  or  the 
morning-glory  to  peep  in  at  her  windows.  The  poor  seam- 
stress, though  obliged  to  lodge  in  some  upper  room,  has  a 
few  flower-pots  upon  her  ^.'indow-sill,  and  perhaps  a  canary 
bird  in  a  cage  hanging  outside.  But  in  an  Indian  village  all  is 
filth  and  litter.  There  are  no  fences  around  their  bark  huts; 
whitewashing  is  a  lost  art,  if  it  was  ever  known  among  them; 
worn  out  moccasins,  tattered  blankets,  old  breech-cloths,  and 
pieces  of  leggins  are  strewn  in  confusion  all  over  the  ground. 
Water,  except  in  very  warm  weather,  seldom  touches  their 
bodies,  and  the  pores  of  their  skin  become  filled  with  grease 
and  the  paint  with  which  they  daub  themselves.  Neither 
Monday  or  any  other  day  is  known  as  washing-day.  Their 
cooking  utensils  are  encrusted  with  d'.rt  and  used  for  a  variety 
of  purposes.    A  year  or  two  ago  a  band  of  Indians,  with  their 


224 

dogs,  ponies,  women  and  children,  came  on  board  of  a  steam- 
boat on  the  Upper  Mipsiesipni  on  which  the  writer  was 
traveling.  Their  evening  meal,  consisting  of  beans  and  wild 
meat,  was  prepared  on  the  lower  de<5k,  beneath  the  windows 
of  the  ladies'  cabin.  After  they  had  used  their  fingers  in  the 
place  of  forks  and  consumed  the  food  which  they  had  cooked 
m  a  dirty  iron  pan.  one  of  the  mothers,  removing  the  blanket 
from  one  of  her  children,  stood  it  up  in  the  game  pan,  and 
then  dipping  some  water  out  of  the  river  began  to  wash  it 
from  head  to  foot.  The  rest  of  the  band  looked  on  with 
Indian  composure,  and  seemed  to  think  that  an  iron  stew- 
pan  was  just  as  gooa  for  washing  babies  as  for  cooking  beans! 
Where  tnere  is  so  much  dirt,  of  course  vermin  must  abound. 
They  are  not  much  distressed  by  the  presence  of  those  in- 
sects which  are  so  nauseating  to  the  civilized  man.  .  Being 
without  shame,  a  common  sight  of  a  summer's  eve  is  a  woman 
or  child  with  her  head  in  another's  lap,  who  is  kindly  killing 
the  fleas  and  other  vermin  that  are  burrowing  in  the  low, 
matted  and  uncombed  hair. 

"  The  Dakotas  have  no  regular  time  for  'ating.  Dependent 
as  they  are,  upon  hunting  and  fishing  for  subsistence,  they 
vacillate  from  the  proximity  of  starvation  to  gluttony.  It 
is  considered  uncourteous  to  refuse  an  invitation  to  a  feast, 
and  a  single  man  will  sometimes  attend  six  or  seven  in  a  dav 
and  eat  intemperately.  Before  they  came  in  contact  with 
the  whites  they  subsisted  upon  venison,  buffalo  and  dog 
meat.  The  latter  animal  has  always  been  considered  a  deli- 
cacy for  these  epicures.  Tn  illustration  of  these  remarks  I 
transcribe  an  extract  fom  a  journal  of  a  missionary,  who 
visited  Lake  Traverse  in  April,  1839: 

"  Last  evening  at  dark  our  Indians  returned,  having  eaten 
to  the  full  of  buffalo  and  dog  meat.  I  asked  one  how  many 
times  they  were  feasted.  He  said,  'Six,  and  if  it  had  not  be- 
come dark  so  soon,  we  should  have  been  called  three  or  four 
times  morel'  This  morning  'Burning  Earth'  (Chief  of  the 
Sissetonwan  Dakotas)  came  again  to  our  encampment,  and 
moving,  we  accompanied  him  to  his  village  at  the  south- 
western end  of  the  lake In  the  afternoon  I  visited  the 

chief;  found  him  just  about  to  leave  for  a  dog  feast  to  which 
he  bad  been  called.  When  he  had  received  some  papers  of 
medicine  I  had  for  him,  he  left,  saying,  'The  Sioux  love  dog 
meat  as  well  as  white  people  do  pork."" 


':  ri 


225 

*'  In  this  connection  it  should  be  statad,  that  the  Dakotas 

(Sioux)  have  no  regular  hours   for  retiring They  sleep 

whenever  inclination  prompts;  Home  by  day  and  some  by 
night.  If  you  were  to  enter  the  Dakota  village,  four  miles 
below  St.  Paul,  at  midnight,  you  might,  perhaps,  see  oome 
few  huddled  arc.md  the  tire  of  a  tepee  (as  they  call  their 
wigwams),  listening  to  tlie  tale  of  an  old  Indian  warrior,  who 
was  often  engaged  in  bloody  conflict  with  their  ancient  and 
present  enemies,  the  Ojib ways;  or  >ou  might  hear  the  un- 
earthly chanting  of  some  medicine  man,  endeavoring  to 
exorcise  some  spirit  from  a  sick  man;  or  you  zuight  see  some 
lounging  about,  whiffing  out  of  their  sacred  red  stone  pipes, 
the  smoke  of  kinnikinnik,  a  species  of  willow  bark;  or  you 
might  see  some  of  the  young  men  sneaking  arout^d  a  lodge, 

c or  you  might  hear  a  low,  wild  drumming,  and  then  see 

a  group  of  men,  daubed  with  vermilion  and  other  paints,  all 
excited  and  engaged  in  some  of  their  grotesque  dances;  or  a 
portion  may  be  firing  their  suns  into  the  air,  being  alarmed 
Dy  some  imaginary  evil,  and  supposing  that  some  enemy  is 
lurking  about. 

"  Dakota  females  deserve  the  sympathy  of  every  tender 
heart.    From  early  childhood  they  lead  "  worse  than  a  dog's 

life." On  a  winter's  day,a  Dakota  mother  is  often  obliged 

to  travel  five,  eight,  or  ten  miles,  with  the  lodge,  camp  kettle, 
ax,  child,  and  small  dogs  upon  her  back.  Arriving  late  in 
the  afternoon,  at  the  appointed  (imping  ground,  she  clears 
off  the  snow  from  the  spot  upon  which  she  is  to  erect  the 
tepee.  She  then,  from  the  nearest  marsh  or  grove,  cuts  down 
some  poles,  about  ten  feet  in  length.  With  these  she  forms 
a  framework  for  the  t'jnt.  Unstrapping  her  pack,  she  unfolds 
the  tent  cover,  which  is  seven  or  eight  buffalo  skins  stitched 
together,  and  brings  the  bottom  part  to  the  base  of  the  frame. 
She  now  obtains  a  long  pole  and  fastening  it  to  the  skin 
covering  she  raises  it.  The  ends  are  drawn  around  the  frame 
until  they  meet,  and  the  edges  of  the  covering  are  secured 
by  wooden  skewers  or  tent  pins.  The  poles  are  then  spread 
out  on  the  ground,  so  as  to  make  as  large  a  circle  inside  as 
she  desires.  Then  she  or  her  children  proceed  to  draw  the 
skins  down  so  as  to  make  ther^  fit  tightlv.  An  opening  is 
left  where  the  poles  meet  at  the  top,  to  allow  the  smoke  to 
escape.  The  fire  is  built  upon  the  ground  in  the  centre  of 
the  lodge.    Buffalo  skins  are  placed  around,  and  from  seven 


226 

to  fifteen  lodge  there  through  a  winter's  night,  wit  i  far  more 
comfort  than  a  child  of  luxury  upon  a  bed  of  down.  Water 
is  to  be  drawn  ard  wood  cut  lor  the  night.  The  camp  kettle 
is  suspended  and  preparations  made  for  the  evening  meaL 
If  her  lord  and  master  has  not  by  this  time  arrived  from 
the  day's  hunt,  she  is  busied  in  mending  moccasins.  Such 
is  a  scene  which  has  been  enacted  by  hundreds  of  females 

this  very  winter  in  Minnesota As  a  consequence  of  this 

hard  treatment,  the  females  of  this  nation  are  not  possessed 
of  very  happy  faces,  and  frequently  resort  to  suicide  to  put 
an  end  to  earthly  troubleo." 


Father  Marquette. 

Father  James  Marquette  was  born  in  Laon,  a  city  of 
France,  in  1637.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  entered  the 
Society  of  Jesus  and  was  ordained  early  in  1666.  The  same 
year  he  sailed  to  Canada,  where  he  landed  on  the  20th  of 
September.  On  the  10th  of  October  he  started  for  Three 
Rivers  to  learn  the  Montaignais  language,  under  Father  Gab- 
riel Druilletes,  being  destined  for  the  northeastern  mission. 
He  remained  in  Three  Rivers  until  1668  when  he  wa3  ordered 
to  prepare  for  the  Ottawa  mission.  He  left  Quebec  April  21, 
1668,  with  three  companions  to  go  to  Montreal,  to  await  there 
the  Ottawa  flotilla.  A  party  of  Nez-Perces  came  with  Father 
Louis  Nicolas,  who  had  gone  with  Father  Allouez  to  La 
Pointe  du  Saint  Esprit,  in  1667,  and  with  them  Marquette 
departed  for  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  in  1668.  He  was  the  first 
resident  priest  of  that  mission  being  stationed  there  for  about 
ono  year  or  a  little  more.  He  may,  therefore,  be  called  the 
founder  of  the  Sault  Ste.  Marie  midsion.  This  mission  was 
located  at  the  foot  of  the  rapids,  on  the  American  side^ 
about  nine  miles  below  the  mouth  of  Lake  Superior. 

In  1669.  Father  Claude  Dablon  came  tc  Sault  Ste.  Marie^ 
as  Superior  of  the  upper  missions.  Father  Marquette  wa& 
sent  to  La  Pointe  du  Saint  Esprit,  where  he  arrived  on  the 
13th  of  September,  1669.  Father  Allouez,  his  predecessor 
there,  left  the  Sauit  on  the  3d  of  November  of  the  same 
year,  and  arrived  at  the  head  of  Green  Bpy  on  the  2d  of 
December,  vigil  of  St.  Francis  Xavi^r,  Patron-Saint  of  the 


227 

Green  Bay  mission.  Father  Marquette  was  stationed  at  the- 
head  of  Ashland  Bay  till  1671,  when,  on  account  of  the  war 
that  had  broken  out,  he  was  obliged  to  remove  with  th& 
Huron  portion  of  his  flock  to  St.  Ignace,  Mackinaw.  It  was 
from  Mackinaw  that  he  started  in  the  early  part  of  1673,  on 
his  voyage  of  discovery. 


Father  Dablon. 

Father  Claudius  Dablon  came  to  Canada  in  1656,  and  was 
employed  in  the  mission  Onondaga  till  1658.  Three  years 
later  we  find  him  and  Father  Gabriel  Druilletes,  the  "A  postle 
of  the  Abnaki  in  Maine,"  who  was  afterwards  stationed  for 
many  years  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  attempting  to  reach  Hudson 
Bay,  by  the  Saguenay.  After  suffering  many  and  great 
hardships  on  their  journey  through  the  trackless  wilderness,, 
they  were  arrested  at  the  sources  of  the  Necouba,  by  Iroquois 
war  parties.  The  journal  of  their  trip  is  given  in  the 
"  Relation '»  of  1661.'  In  1669,  he  arrived  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie, 
Michigan,  whither  Father  Marquette  had  preceded  him  in 
1668,  and  he  became  Superior  of  the  Algonquin  missions  of 
the  Northwest.  In  1670,  he  came  to  Green  Bay,  and  with 
Alloiez  visited  in  September  of  the  eame  year  the  Mission 
of  St.  James,  located  on  the  Upper  Fox  River,  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  junction  of  said  river  with  the  Wisconsin, 
Shortly  after,  he  returned  to  Quebec  to  assume  his  post  a» 
superior  of  all  the  Canada  missions  under  the  carp  of  hi& 
Order,  which  office  he  held  with  intervals  for  many  years, 
certainly  till  1693.  As  the  head  of  the  missions,  he  con- 
tributed a  great  deal  to  their  extension,  and  above  all,  to  the 
exploration  of  the  Mississippi,  by  Father  Marquette.  He 
published  the  Relations  of  1670--71-72,  with  an  accurate  map 
of  Lake  Superior,  most  probably  drawn  by  Fathers  AUouez 
and  Marquette,  vhe  two  Fathers  best  acquainted  with  the 
topography  of  said  lake.  He  prepared  also  the  Relations 
from  1672  to  1679,  for  the  press,  but  they  were  not  printed 
and  existed  only  in  manuscript  form  till  within  a  few  years 
prior  to  this  writing.  He  likewise  prepared  Father  Mar- 
quette's Journal,  describing  his  discovery  and  exploration 
of  the  Mississippi,  for  the  press,  which  journal,  together  with 
many  other  highly  valuable  and  interesting  papers  relating 


228 

to  the  exploration  of  said  river  has  been  published  by  the 
learned  historian,  John  Gilmary  Shea,  in  his  work  "Discovery 
and  Exploration  of  the  Mississippi,"  a  work  we  most  highly 
recommend  to  all  who  t^e  an  interest  in  the  early  history 
of  our  western  country. 


Great  mass-meeting  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie  in  1671;  Names 

OF  THOSE  WHO   SIGNED  THE  TREATY;  PeRBOT's   ACCOUNT. 

"The  treaty  was  signed  in  the  presence  of  Dablon,*  Supe- 
rior of  the  mission,  and  his  colleagues,  Dreuilletes,  Allouez,* 
Andr€   of   the  Society   of  Jesus ;     Nicolas  Perrot,'    inter- 

Sreter;  Sieur  Jolly et*;  Jacques  Mogras  of  Three  Rivers:  T^ierre 
loreau,  the  Sieur  de  la  Taupine;  Denis  Masse;  F'  r  ^  de 
Chavigny,  Sieur  de  la  Chevrottiere;  Jacques  Lagillier,  Jean 
Maysere,  Nicholas  Dupuis,  Franyois  Bibaud,  Jacques  Joviel, 
Pierre  Porteret,"  Robert  Duprat,  Vital  Driol,  Guillaume  Bon- 
homme."    (Margry,  vol.  I,  p.  97.) 

Nicholas  Perrot  says:® 

"  The  first  vessels  from  France  arrived  at  Quebec  whilst  all 
the  (Ottawa  and  Iroquois)  chiefs  were  there.  M.  de  Cour- 
celles  received  some  letters  from  M.  Talon,  who  wrote  to  him 
on  the  necessity  of  engaging  in  his  service  such  Frenchmen 
as  had  been  with  the  Outaouas  and  knew  their  language,  so 
that  he  could  go  there  and  assume  possession  of  their  country  in 
the  name  of  the  king.  M.  de  Courcelles  cast  his  eye  first  or 
me  and  made  me  wait  in  Quebec  until  the  return  of  M.  L'ln 
tendant. 

"  When  the  latter  had  arrived,  he  asked  me  if  I  would  like 
to  go  to  the  Outaouas,  as  interpreter,  and  conduct  there  his 

1  Dahlon  and  Dreuilletes  were  stationed  at  the  Sault,  tbougrh  Dablon  spent 
a  pai't  oi  tbe  winter  of  1670-71  at  Mackinaw,  building  a  rude  bark  chapel 
thei:i;\ 

2  Allouez  an  d  Andrfi  were  stationed  at  Green  Bay,  Andr6  having  oharsre  of 
the  misaionarji  (tations  at  the  hea'\  of  said  bay,  while  Alloue"!  attended  the 
inland  misitions. 

3  Nicolas  Perrot,  the  author  of  the  "Memolre,"  held  several  offlce»  under 
the  Canadian  government,  was  "Coureur  de  bois,"  interpreter,  and  kind  of 
governor  or  commandant  at  Green  Bay.  between  166&-1701. 

4  Jollyet  acoompauled  Father  Marquette  upon  his  voyage  of  discovery  and 
exploration  down  the  Mississippi. 

6  Pierre  Porteret  accompanied  Father  Marquette  on  his  last  journey  to  the 
Illinois  in  1674,  and  was  present  at  his  death  on  the  eastern  shore  of  Lake 
Michigan  In  1676. 

6    "Memolre,"  pp.  136-128. 


lud 


229 

Bubdelegate,  whom  he  would  place  there  to  take  possession  of 
their  country.  I  informed  him  that  I  was  always  ready  to 
obey  him,  and  OiTered  him  my  services.  I  left,  therefore, 
with  the  Sieur  de  b^int  Lueson,  his  subdelegate,  and  we  ar- 
rived at  Montreal,  where  we  remrined  till  tre  beginning  of 
the  month,  October  (1670).  We  were  obliged  on  our  way  to 
winter  with  the  Amikouets  (Beaver  Indians).  The  Saulteurs 
(Chippewas  of  Sault  Ste.  Marie)  also  wintered  at  the  same 
place  and  secured  more  than  two  thousand  four  hundred  elks 
or  an  island  called  the  "Island  of  the  Outaouas,"  which  ex- 
tends the  length  of  Lake  Huron,  from  the  point  opposite  St. 
Francis  River  to  that  of  the  Missisakis,  going  towaras  Michil- 
limakinak  (Manitouline  Island).  This  extraordinary  chase 
was  nevertheless  only  made  with  snares. 

"  I  sent  them  word  to  return  to  their  country  in  the  spring 
as  soon  as  possible,  to  hear  the  word  of  the  king,  which  the 
Sieur  Saint  Lusson  brought  to  them,  and  to  all  the  tribes.  I 
likewise  sent  Indians  to  inform  those  of  the  north  to  return 
to  their  country.  I  dragged  and  then  carried  my  canoe  to 
the  other  side  of  the  island,  where  I  embarked;  for  it  is  to  be 
remarked  that  the  lake  (Huron)  never  freezes  except  on  th') 
side  where  we  wintered  and  not  towards  the  offing,  on 
account  of  the  continual  winds  which  agitate  it  there.  Thence 
we  started  to  go  to  the  bay  of  the  Foxes  and  Miamies,  which 
is  not  very  fai  distant,  and  I  caused  all  the  chiefs  to  go  to 
Sault  Ste.  Marie,  where  the  pole  was  to  be  erected  and  the 
arms  of  France  attached,  to  take  possession  of  the  Outaouac 
country.    It  was  the  year  1669*  that  this  took  place. 

"  On  the  5th  of  the  month  of  May,  ^  went  to  Sault  Ste. 
Marie  with  the  principal  chiefs  of  the  Pouteouatamies,  Sakis, 
Puants  (Winnebagoes),  Malhommis  (Menominees).  Those  of 
the  Foxes,  Mascoutechs  (Maskoutens),  Kikaboos  (Kickapoos) 
and  Miamies  did  not  pass  the  bay  (Green  Bay).  Among 
them  was  a  man  with  the  name  of  Tetinchoua,  head  chief  of 
the  Miamies,  who,  as  if  he  were  their  king,  had  day  and  night 
in  his  wigwam  forty  young  men  as  a  body-guard.  The  vil- 
lage over  which  he  ruled  had  from  four  to  five  thousand 
braves;  in  one  word,  he  was  feared  and  respected  by  all  his 

1  Perrot'8  mistake;  It  was  the  14th  of  June,  1671.  The  •Relation"  of  1671, 
p.  26,  gives  the  4th  of  June,  also  a  mistake,  made  probably  by  the  copyist 
Perr-**  probably  wrote  his  "Memoire"  many  years  after  the  treaty,  henoe  he 
f ortfot  the  preoiee  year  when  It  was  made. 


230 

neighbors.  They  say,  however,  that  he  was  of  a  very  mild 
•disposition  and  that  he  conversed  only  with  his  lieutenants, 
or  people  of  his  council  charged  with  his  ordere.  The 
Pouteouatamies  did  not  venture  through  respect  for  him  to 
have  him  exposed  to  dangers  or  mishaps  in  making  the  voy- 
age, fearing  for  him  the  fatigues  of  the  canoe  and  that  in  con- 
sequence thereof  he  might  fall  sick.  They  represented  to  him 
that,  should  any  accident  happen  to  him,  his  people  would 
helieve  themselves  deserving  of  l>lame  for  it,  and  that  they 
would  take  upon  themselves  the  dangers  of  the  voyage.  He 
finally  yielded  to  their  reasons  and  requested  them  to  do  for 
liim  in  the  matter  (under  consideration)  as  he  would  do  for 
them  if  he  were  there  present.  I.  had  explained  to  them  what 
the  question  was  and  why  they  had  been  called  (to  the 
treaty). 

"  I  found  at  my  arrival,  not  only  the  chiefs  of  the  north, 
but  also  all  the  Kiristinons  (Crees),  Monsonis  and  whole 
villages  of  their  neighbors;  the  chiefs  of  the  Nipissings  w*}re 
there  also,  besides  those  of  the  Amikouets  and  all  of  the 
Saulteurs,  who  had  their  settlement  in  the  place  itself.  The 
pole  was  erected  in  their  presence  and  the  arms  of  France 
attached  to  it  with  the  consent  of  all  the  tribes,  who,  not 
knowing  how  to  write,  gave  presents  as  their  signatures,  de- 
•claring  in  this  manner  that  they  placed  themselves  under  the 
protection  and  obedience  of  the  king.  The  Process- Verbal 
-was  drawn  up  in  regard  to  this  act  of  assuming  possession, 
which  I  signed  as  interpreter,  with  the  Sieur  de  Saint  Lusson, 
subdelegate ;  the  Rev.  Missionary  Fathers  Dablon,  AUouez, 
Dreuilletes  and  Marquet  signed  lower  down,  and  below  them 
the  French  who  were  trafficking  in  the  various  localities.  This 
was  done  following  the  instructions  given  by  M.  Talon.  After 
that,  all  those  tribes  returned  each  to  their  country  and  lived 
several  years  without  any  trouble  from  one  side  or  the  other. 

"  I  forgot  to  say  that  the  Hurons  and  Outaouas  did  not 
arrive  till  after  the  act  of  taking  possession,  for  they  had  fled 
from  Chagouamigon  (Chequamegon)  on  account  of  having 
eaten  some  Sioux,  as  I  have  related  above.  They  were  in- 
formed of  what  had  lately  been  done,  and  agreed,  like  the 
rest,  to  all  that  had  been  concluded  and  decided  on. " 


231 


OoPY  OF  THE  Process- Verbal  of  the  taking  possession  of 

THE  Indian  country.* 

Preliminary  remarks  of  Father  J.  Tailhan,  S.  J.,  publisher 
And  annotator  of  Perrot's  "Memoire." 

'*  The  "Relation"  of  1671  (see  text)  and  La  Potherie  (II,  pp. 
128-130)  contain  many  details  in  regard  to  this  act  of  taking 

fossession  omitted  by  Perrot,  to  which  the  reader  is  referred, 
will  merely  give  here  the  unpubliehed  Process- Verbal  of 
that  ceremony,  after  the  somewhat  incorrect  copy  deposited 

in  the  archives  of  the  marinb The  passages  suppressed 

and  replaced  by  dots  offer  no  historical  interest;  they  are  but 
-simple  protocols  or  useless  repetitions." 

Process-Verbal. 

"  Simon  Francois  Daumont,  esquire,  Sieur  de  Saint  Lusson, 
commissioned  subdelegate  of  Monseigneur,  the  Intendant  of 
TTew  France 

"In  accordance  with  the  orders  we  have  received  from 
Monseigneur,  the  Intendant  of  New  France,  the  3d  of  last 
July to  immediately  proceed  to  the  country  of  the  In- 
dian Outaouais,  Nez-percez,  Illinois,  and  other  nations,  dis- 
covered and  to  be  discovered,  in  North  America,  in  the 
region  of  Lake  Superior  or  Mer- Douce  (Huraa),  to  make 
•there  search  and  discovery  of  mines  of  all  sorts,  especially  of 
copper,  ordering  us  moreover  to  take  possession  in  the  name 
of  the  king  of  all  the  country,  inhabited  or  not  inhabited, 
through  which  we  might  pass We,  in  virtue  of  our  com- 
mission, have  made  our  first  disembarkment  at  the  village  or 
burg  of  Sainte  Marie  du  Sault,  the  place  where  the  Rev. 
Jesuit  Fathers  make  their  mission,  and  where  the  Indian 
tribes,  called  Achipo^s,  Malamechs,  Noguets,  and  others, 
make  their  actual  abode.  We  have  convoked  there  as  many 
other  tribes  as  it  was  in  our  power  to  assemble,  and  they  met 
there  to  the  number  of  fourteen  tribes,  namely  the  Achipo^s', 
Malamechs',   Noguets^,  Banabeoueks*,  Makomiteks',  Poul- 


1    "Memoire,"  pp.  292-294. 

8    Ghippewas;    3,  Meramear.  Man-um-aig^,  "Catfish";    4,  Noquets,  No-kalg 
"Bear  Family  or  Clan";  5,  Ne-bauu-aub-alg  (?).  "Merman  Clan";  6,  Makomi- 


232 

t^at^mis^,  Oumaloumines*,  Sassaouacottons®,  dwelling  at  the 
Bay  called  that  of  the  Puants  (Green  Bay),  and  who  have 
taken  it  upon  themBelves  to  make  it  (treaty)  known  to  their 
neighbors,  who  are  the  Illinois*",  Mascouttins'  *,  Outagamis", 
and  other  nations  ;  also  the  Christinos**,  Assinipouals**, 
Aumossomika*",  Outaouais-Couscottons**,  Niscaks",  Mask- 
wikoukiaks",  all  of  them  inhabiting  the  countries  of  the 
North  and  near  the  sea,  who  have  charged  themselves  with 
making  it  known  to  their  neighbors,  who  are  believed  to  be 
in  great  numbers  dwelling  near  the  shores  of  the  same  sea. 
We  have  caused  thi^,  our  said  commission,  to  be  read  to 
them  in  the  presence  of  the  Rev.  Fathers  of  the  Society  of 
Jeuus,  and  oi  all  the  Frenchmen  named  below,  and  have  had 
it  iii  i^orpreted  by  Nicolas  Pe^'rot,  interpreter  of  His  Majesty  in 
this  matter,  in  order  that  they  may  not  be  able  (to  claim)  to 
be  ignorant  of  it.  Having  then  caused  a  cross  to  be  erected 
to  produce  there  the  fruits  of  Christianity,  and  near  it  a 
cedar-pole,  to  which  we  have  attached  the  arms  of  France, 
saying  three  times  with  a  loud  voice  and  public  proclama- 
tion, that  IN  THE  NAME  OF  THE  MOST  HIGH,  MOST 
POWERFUL,  AND  MOST  REDOUBTABLE  MONARCH, 
LOUIS  XIV.  OF  NAME,  MOST  CHRISTIAN  KING  OF 
FRANCE  AND  NAVARRE,  we  take  possession  of  said 
place,  Sainte  Marie  du  Sault,  as  also  of  the  Lakes  Huron  and 
Superior,  the  Island  of  Caientaton  (Manitouline),  and  of  all 
other  lands,  rivtrs,  lakes  and  streams  contiguous  to  and  ad- 
jacent here,  as  well  discovered  as  to  be  discovered,  which 
are  bounded  on  the  one  side  by  the  seas  of  the  North  and 
West,  and  on  the  other  side  by  the  sea  of  the  South,  in  its 
whole  length  or  depth,  taking  up  at  each  of  the  said  three 
proclamations  a  sod  of  earth,  crying  'Vive  le  Roy!'  and 
causing  the  same  to  be  cried  by  the  whole  assembly,  as  well 
French  as  Indians,  declaring  to  the  said  nations  aforesaid 
and  hereafter  that  from  henceforth  they  were  to  be  protegees 
(subjects)  of  His  Majesty,  subject  to  obey  his  laws  and 
follow  his  customs,  promising  them  all  protection  and  succor 
on  his  part  against  the  incursion  and  Invasion  of  their 
enemies,  declaring  to  all  other  potentates,  sovereign  princes, 

♦oao  <Y);  7,  Pottawatamies;  8,  Menomlnees;  9,  Nassawaketons,  "People  of  the 
:'jtk.",  id,  Illinois;  11,  Mas^.kouceng,  Muskatine,  Musooda,  "Prairie  People"; 
12,  Foxes;  13,  Crees;  14,  Assineboines,  "Stony-country  Sioux" ;  15,  Mousoneeg, 
"Moose";  Id,  Ottawa  Kiskakon  (?>  or  Ataouabouskatouk,  a  Oree  tribe;  17, 
Klskakons  (?);  18,  Maskwakeeg  (?),  Foxes,  or  Miklkoueks. 


233 

as  well  States  as  Republics,  to  them  or  their  subjects,  that 
they  neither  can  nor  shall  seize  upon  or  dwell  in  any  place 
of  this  country,  unless  with  the  good  pleasure  of  his  said 
most  Christian  Majesty,  and  of  him  who  shall  govern  the 
land  in  his  name,  under  penalty  of  incurring  his  hatred  and 
the  efforts  of  his  arms.  And  that  none  may  pretend  ignor- 
ance of  this  transaction,  we  have  now  attached  on  the  re- 
verse side  of  the  arms  of  France  our  Process- Verbal  of  the 
taking  possession,  signed  by  ourselves  and  the  persons  be- 
low named,  who  were  all  present. 

"  Done  at  Sainte  Marie  du  Sault,  the  14th  day  of  June,  in 
the  year  of  grace  1671. 

Daumont  dk  Saint  Lusson. 

(Then  follow  the  signatures  of  the  witnesses.) 

The  annotator  renarks  :  "  In  conclusion  I  will  point  out  a 
slight  error  of  Perrot.  Father  Marquette  did  not  figure  among 
the  witnesses  of  the  act  of  assuming  possession  At  that  time 
he  was  with  the  Hurons  and  Outaouacs,  who  did  not  arrive 
at  the  Sault  till  after  the  ceremony.  In  place,  therefore,  of 
Father  Marquette,  the  name  of  Father  Andr^  should  be  sub- 
stituted in  our  text  (Perrot's  account  of  the  treaty),  whose 
name  is  read  in  the  Process -Verbal  of  M.  de  Saint  Lusson 
among  those  of  the  other  witnesses,  after  the  name  of  the 
subdelegate." 


Menominees;  Labors  of  Father  Van  den  Broek  amoncj 

THAT  Tribe  at  Green  Bay,  Little  Chute, 

and  elsewhere. 

The  Menominees,  now  a  populous  tribe,  were  few  in  num- 
ber at  the  time  Father  AUouez  first  appeared  among  them. 
They  are  an  Algonquin  tribe,  though  their  language  differs 
considerably  from  the  Chippewa  and  Ottawa,  two  other  tribes 
of  the  Algonquin  family  of  natives.  Father  Allouez,  although 
well  versed  in  Algonquin,  found  it  difficult  to  understand 
them.  Their  principal  village  was  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Menominee  River,  which  empties  into  Green  Bay.  Here 
Father  Allouez  visited  them  for  the  first  time  on  the  8th  of 
May,  1670,  and  established  the  mission  of  St.  Michael.  There 
were  also  two  villages  of  that  tribe  on  the  western  shore  of 


234 

Green  Bay,  one  at  Chouskouabika  and  the  other  at  Ossaoua- 
migouEg.  In  both  of  these  villages  Father  Andre  labored 
and  made  many  converts.  Chouskouabika,  called  also  Chous- 
kouanabika,  was  located  near  the  site  of  the  modern  town  of 
Pensaukee.  The  word  meanp  "there  are  many  smooth,  flat 
stones  " — French,  "  aux  gaiets.  The  name  Ossaouamigoung 
is  a  corrupt  form  of  Ossawamikong  (from  oasiiva  "  yellow," 
and  amik  a  beaver)  and  means  "  The  place  of  the  yellow 
beaver,"  or  perhaps,  "  Beaver-tail."  This  mission  was  near 
Suamico,  a  corruption  of  the  Indian  name,  as  Pensaukee  is  a 
corrupt  form  of  Peshaking  or  Pensaking  (from  Pejakiwan, 
Pensakiwan,  "  the  land  is  marked,  streaked").  There  were 
also  many  Menominees  at  the  mouth  of  Fox  River.  They 
subsequently  extended  their  settlements  along  the  last  named 
river,  and  many  redded  at  Little  Chute  prior  to  1842,  when 
they  sold  a  large  tract  of  land  to  the  United  States  and  moved 
to  Poygan  (Pawagan).  At  present  they  reside  on  a  reserva- 
tion on  the  Wolf  River,  in  Shawano  county,  and  are  attended 
by  the  Franciscan  Fathers  residing  at  Keshina.  As  Father 
Van  den  Broek  labored  for  many  years  among  this  tribe,  a 
short  account  of  his  labors  will  not  be  out  of  place  here. 

Father  Theodore  J.  Van  den  Broek  was  stationed  for  some 
time  in  Alkmaar,  Holland,  and  belonged  to  the  Dominican 
Order.  He  left  his  native  land  in  1832,  and  having  landed 
at  Baltimore,  he  proceeded  via  Wheeling,  Cincinnati  and 
Louisville  to  St.  Rose,  near  Springfield,  Washington  county, 
Kentucky,  where  there  was  a  house  of  his  Order,  with  four- 
teen Fathers  and  four  lay-brothers.  The  whole  journey  from 
Antwerp,  Belgium,  to  St.  Rose,  took  nine  weeks.  Here  he 
prepared  himself  for  missionary  work,  studying  the  language 
and  customs  of  the  country.  After  a  short  stay  at  St.  Rose 
he  was  removed  to  Somerset,  Perry  county,  Ohio,  where 
there  was  another  house  of  his  Order.  M.  Grignon,  an  esteem- 
able  and  worthy  lady,  now  residing  at  Green  Bay,  used  to 
interpret  for  him  sometimes  at  Somerset. 

On  the  4th  of  July,  1834,  he  arrived  in  Green  Bay,  to 
labor  in  the  Indian  missionary  field.  Here  he  found  only 
ten  Catholic  white  families,  although  more  were  living  at  a 
distance  in  the  interior  of  the  Stete  at  Little  Chute,  Butte 
des  Morts,  etc.  He  completed  the  priest's  house,  begun  by 
Father  Mazzuchelli,  and  labored  zealously  among  the  whites 


235 

and  Indians  of  his  flock.  The  Catholic  Church  and  priest's 
house  were  then  located  at  Menomineeville  (Shanteetown) 
half  way  between  Green  Bay  and  Depere.  Scarcely  a  year 
after  his  arrival  the  towns  of  Navarino  and  Astor,  now  Green 
Bay,  were  built,  and  as  the  Catholics  of  these  places  formed 
one  congregation  with  those  of  Menomineeville,  we  will  call 
the  mission  Green  Bay. 

The  first  building  in  Green  Bay,  used  as  school-house  and 
chapel,  was  built  of  logs  in  1823,  and  was  destroyed  by  fire 
in  1825,  through  carelessness  in  making  fire  to  drive  off 
mosquitoes.  In  1831,  Bishop  Fenwick  selected  a  site  for  a 
new  church,  which  was  begun  by  Rev.  S.  Mazzuchelli  and 
finished  bv  the  Redemptorist  Fathers  Sanderl  and  Hiitecher 
in  November,  1832,  at  a  cost  of  S3000.  This  church  burned 
down  in  1846.  A  subsequent  church,  bought  of  the  Metho- 
dists, shared  the  same  fate  in  1871. 

Father  Van  den  Broek  labored  at  Grt^en  Bay,  sometimes 
alone  sometimes  with  Father  Mazzuchelli,  from  1834  till  the 
winter  of  1836.  It  seems  he  left  Green  Ba  in  December  of 
that  year  and  came  to  reside  at  Little  Chute.  As  the  Redemp- 
torist Fathers  Sanderl  and  Htitscher  and  Prost,  remained  but 
a  short  time  in  Green  Bay,  tho  care  of  that  mission  devolved 
again  upon  Father  Van  den  Broek  for  the  next  two  years, 
from  1836-38.  He  used  to  have  mass  there  every  other  Sun- 
day. While  yet  residing  in  Green  Bay,  he  often  said  two 
masses  on  Sundays,  the  first  one  at  Green  Bay  (Menominee- 
ville), and  the  second  at  Little  Chute,  walking  it  at  that, 
although  the  distance  is  twenty  to  twenty-four  miles!  Once 
his  feet  bled  profusedly  from  the  pegs  m  his  boots,  whence 
he  was  obliged  to  stop  on  his  way  to  get  them  extracted. 
Another  time  he  lost  his  boots  in  the  thick,  sticky  mud. 
Truly  his  was  not  an  easy  life.  Besides  the  hardships  of  the 
road  he  had  often  to  endure  hunger,  as  his  Indians  were 
rather  negligent  in  providing  for  his  wants.  When  he  first 
came  to  Little  Chute,  he  lived  for  half  a  year  in  a  wigwam, 
fifteen  feet  long  and  six  feet  high,  which  served  as  church, 
dwelling  and  school,  tor  he  began  at  once  to  teach  his  Indian 
neophytei^  to  learn  their  A  B  C,  so  as  to  be  soon  able  to  read 
Bishop  Baraga's  prayer  and  catechetical  books.  Here  in  his 
wigwam  he  was  visited  by  snakes,  wolves,  and  that  worst  of 
all  nuisances,  starving  Indian  dogs,  who  would  often  steal 


sa  I 


236 

the  poor  Father's  next  meal,  stowed  away  in  the  shape  of 
meat  or  fish,  in  some  old  Indian  kettle! 

His  mission  embraced  almost  the  whole  State  of  Wisconsin, 
for  some  years.  He  attended  Green  Bay,  Little  Chute,  Butte 
des  Morts,  Fort  Winnebago,  near  Portage  City,  Fond  du  Lac, 
Prairie  du  Chien,  Poygan,  Calumet  and  other  places,  visiting 
the  more  distant  missions  generally  in  winter.  Oftentimes 
he  had  to  sleep,  during  bitter  cold  winter  nights,  in  the  snow, 
with  no  other  roof  overhead  than  the  starry  canopy  of 
Heaven  and  the  snow  his  bed.  Once,  when  called  to  attend 
a  sick  person,  about  240  miles  distant,  he  got  lost  in  the 
woods,  his  guide  having  got  drunk  at  a  fort,  where  the  Father 
had  stopped  over  Sunday  to  give  the  Catholic  soldiers  a 
chance  to  attend  to  their  religious  duties.  After  riding  about 
for  several  hours  in  the  dark  through  the  woods,  having  lost 
his  way,  he  finally  tied  his  horse  to  a  tree,  took  on  the 
saddle  and  used  it  for  a  pillow  on  which  to  rest  his  aching 
head.  It  rained  fearfully,  and  wolves  howled  about  him 
fiercely.  Next  morning  hie  said  his  prayers  devoutly  and 
made  a  vow  that  he  would  offer  up  a  mass  in  thanksgiving, 
should  he  find  his  way  out  of  the  woods.  He  then  mounted 
his  horse,  let  the  reins  loose  and  allowed  the  animal  to  go 
whithersoever  Divine  Providence  might  direct  it.  In  less 
than  five  minutes  he  was  on  the  road  and  soon  arrived  at 
the  sick  person's  house.  Incidents  like  these  give  the  reader 
some  idea  of  the  hardships  and  trials  this  apostolic  man 
endured. 

But  Father  Van  den  Broek  was  not  only  a  missionary;  he 
was  also  a  civilizer  of  his  Indian  people.  He  worked  him- 
self most  industriously  and  plowing  his  garden  with  hoe ;  nd 
spade  raised  the  first  year  he  came  to  Little  Chute  plenty  of 
corn  and  potatoes,  which,  no  doubt,  his  Indians  helped  him 
to  eat  up.  The  second  year  he  raised  sufficient  breadstuffa 
besides  vegetables,  his  Indians  helping  him  with  a  good  will 
to  till  the  ground.  He  also  trained  them  to  handle  carpenter 
tools,  made  them  masons,  plasterers,  etc.  With  their  help 
he  erected  a  neat  church,  70  ft.  long  with  a  nice  little  steeple, 
which  he  completed  in  1839  and  dedicated  to  St.  John  Nepo- 
muc,  the  glorious  martyr  who  sealed  with  his  blood  the  in- 
violability of  the  seal  of  Confession.  Between  1834-42  ho 
converted  and  baptized  over  six  hundred   Indians,  not  tQ 


237 

Bpeak  of  those  converted  between  the  last  named  year  and 
that  of  his  death,  1851. 

But  Father  Van  den  Broek  has  not  only  a  claim  to  the 
grateful  remembrance  of  the  Catholics  of  Wisconsin  as  a 
zealous  Indian  missionary,  but  also  as  an  originator  of  Cath- 
olic colonization.  On  the  29th  of  May,  1847,  he  left  Little 
Chute  and  crossing  the  broad  Atlantic  visited  his  native  land, 
Holland.     The  same  year  he  published   at  Amsterdam  a 

Eamphlet,  describing  some  of  the  many  advantages  Wisconsin 
eld  oat  to  the  industrious  immigrant,  and  induced  many  of 
his  countrymen  to  settle  in  our  State.  Three  ships  with 
Hollanders  sailed  for  America  in  1848,  in  two  of  which  were 
Catholic  priests  to  attend  to  the  spiritual  wants  of  their 
countrymen,  namely  Fathers  Godhard  and  Van  den  Broek. 
The  latter  sailed  from  Rotterdam,  March  18th,  1848,  in  the 
"Maria  Magdalena."  May  7th  he  landed  at  New  York,  and 
the  9th  of  June  arrived  at  Little  Chute  with  a  large  number 
of  Hollandish  immigrants.  These  people  settled  at  the  last 
named  place,  also  at  Hollandtown,  Green  Bav,  Depere,  Free- 
dom and  other  localities.  They  were  soon  followed  by  others 
and  at  present  form  quite  a  large  percentage  of  the  Catholic 
population  of  the  Green  Bay  diocese.  They  are  second  to 
none  in  strong,  practical  Catholicity,  zeal  for  their  church,  re- 
ligion and  schools,  and  command  the  respect  of  all  classes  of 
our  people  by  their  industry,  thrift  ana  orderly  behavior. 
They  are  an  honor  to  the  country  of  iheir  birth  and  a  valu- 
able acquisition  to  the  land  of  their  adoption.  The  tree  that 
Father  Van  den  Broek  planted  at  Little  Chute,  in  1848,  has 
spread  its  branches  over  a  large  part  of  northeastern  Wis- 
consin, and  offshoots  of  it  are  found  in  Minnesota,  Nebraska, 
Oregon  and  other  States. 

Father  Van  den  Broek  continued  to  labor  with  his  cus- 
tomary zeal  after  his  return  to  Little  Chute,  in  1848,  until  his 
death  in  that  town,  Nov.  5th,  1851,  at  the  age  of  sixty -eight 
years.  He  was  succeeded  by  the  Fathers  of  the  Holy  Cross, 
who  for  many  years  continued  the  work  of  their  worthy 
predecessor,  laboring  zealously  among  the  Hollanders, 
French,  Irish,  and  Indian  half-breeds  of  Little  Chute  and 
vicinity. 


m 


238 

Short  Sketch  of  the  Green  Bay  Misson. 

The  first  white  man  that  penetrated  the  wilds  of  Wisconsin 
was  Jean  Nicolet,  an  adventurous  Frenchman,  a  zealous 
Catholic,  and  a  man  well  versed  in  the  Algonquin  language, 
for  which  reason  he  was  employed  by  the  government  as 
Indian  interpreter  at  Three  Rivers  in  1G36.  In  1639  he 
pushed  to  the  head  of  Green  Bay,  found  there  the  Winne- 
bagoes,  jt  "  Sea  Tribe,"  and  made  a  treaty  of  peace  in  the 
name  of  the  French  government  with  the  Indians  assembled 
there  to  the  number  of  four  or  five  thousand. 

In  1669  Father  Claude  Allouez  arrived  there  on  the  2d  of 
December,  and  established  the  mission  of  St.  Francis  Xavier, 
offering  up  the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  with  all  possible 
solemnity  on  the  following  day,  Dec.  3d,  feast  of  the  above- 
named  saint.  He  found  there  some  eight  young  Frenchmen 
trading  with  the  Indians.  There  were  about  600  Sac  Pot- 
tawaU\mies,  Foxes  and  Winnebagoes  in  one  village,  n  the 
mouth  of  Fox  river,  besides  other  smaller  villages  ..^  the 
Fox  river,  and  on  both  sides  of  the  bay.  Many  of  these 
Indians  had  received  their  first  knowledge  of  Christianity 
whilst  residing  at  Chagaouamigong  (Chequamegon)  Bay^ 
whither  they  had  fled  through  fear  of  the  Iroquois  prior  to 
1666. 

Father  Allouez  soon  made  converts  among  the  poor  In- 
dians at  the  head  of  the  bay,  whom  he  describes  as  uncom- 
monly barbarous,  ignorant  and  destitute.  They  soon  learned 
to  attend  church  regularly  on  Sundays  and  to  chant  the 
"  Our  Father "  and  "  Hail  Mary  "  in  their  own  language. 
The  headquarters  of  this  first  mission  seems  to  have  been 
located  a  short  distance  below  the  head  of  the  bay,  on  the 
western  shore,  as  he  says  the  Menominees,  "  whom  he  found 
at  their  river," — Menominee  river — were  eight  leagues  from 
his  cabin. 

In  1671  the  mission  was  removed  five  miles  up  the  Fox 
river,  and  a  chapel  built  on  the  site  of  the  present  town  of 
Depere,  near  the  river.  The  spot  is  now  covered  with  water. 
In  1670  the  Father  founded  the  mission  of  St.  Mark  on  the 
Wolf  river,  probably  six  miles  above  Lake  Winneconne. 
The  same  year  he  established  the  mission  of  St.  James  on 
the  Upper  Fox  river,  about  nine  miles  from  the  junction  of 
the  Fox  and  Wisconsin  rivers.    He  also  founded  in  May, 


239 

1670.  the  St.  Michael's  mission  among  the  Menominees,  aear 
the  mouth  of  the  Menominee  river. 

In  1670  Father  Ix)ui8  Andre  was  sent  to  Green  Bay,  prob- 
ably towards  the  latter  end  of  the  year.  The  two  Fathers 
divided  then  the  various  missionary  stations  in  Wisconsin 
among  themselves,  Father  Andr6  taki  ig  the  missions  on  both 
shores  of  Green  Bay  and  up  the  Fox  river,  whilst  Father 
Allouez  attended  those  more  distant  inland. 

Father  Andre  composed  religious  hymns  on  the  principal 
doctrines  of  faith  and  against  pagan  superstitions,  which  he 
taught  the  children  to  sing  to  the  accompaniment  of  the 
flute.  This  enraged  the  pagans.  During  his  temporary  ab- 
sence they  burnt  his  house  and  his  whole  winter  supply  of 
dry  fish,  his  nets,  and  all  he  had.  Undaunted  by  this, 
Father  Andre  raised  a  cabin  on  the  ruins  of  the  old  one  de- 
stroyed, and  renewed  1  >  attacks  on  pagan  superstition  and 
polygamy.  As  the  Inuians  were  addicted  to  demon-woiship, 
they  attacked  the  Father  for  his  opposition  to  their  demon- 
olatry.  '*  The  devil,"  exclaimed  a  chief,  "  is  the  only  great 
chief ;  he  put  Christ  to  death  and  he  will  kill  you,  too." 
Father  Andre,  however,  labored  on  undauntedly,  and  made 
converts  even  in  the  wigwams  of  his  bitterest  enemies  at 
Chouskouabika  (pronounced  Shoos-quah-bee-kah)  and  Ous- 
souamigong  (pron.  Oos-swau-mee-gong). 

The  number  of  converts  kept  steadily  increasing,  and  when 
Father  Marquette  passed  through  Green  Bay  in  1673,  on  his 
way  to  discover  and  explore  the  Mississippi,  he  found  2,000 
baptized  in  the  mission  of  St.  Francis  Xavier  and  its  de- 
pendencies. Towards  the  end  of  that  year  Father  Marquette 
returned  to  Green  Bay,  broken  down  in  health  through  the 
hardships  endured  during  his  voyage  down  the  Mississippi. 
He  stopped  with  Father  Andre  till  the  fall  of  1674.  Despair- 
ing of  human  help,  he  had  recourse  to  the  Blessed  Virgin 
Immaculate,  and  made  with  the  fervent  neophytes  of  St. 
Francis  mission  a  novena  in  her  honor,  in  order  to  obtain 
through  the  powerful  intercession  of  the  Mother  of  God  the 
recovery  of  his  health,  so  as  to  enable  him  to  found  the  mis- 
sion of  the  Immaculate  Conception  among  the  Illinois. 
Their  prayer  was  heard,  and  towards  the  end  of  October, 
1674,  Father  Marquette  .started  for  Illinois  by  way  of  Sturgeon 
Bay  and  Lake  Michigan. 


240 

Father  Andr6  labored  on  Buccess fully,  making  converts  and 
repressing  idolatry.  His  house  at  St.  Francis  Xavier  had 
been  burned  down  by  the  pagans;  another  on  the  Me- 
nominee now  shared  the  same  fate.  Most  of  the  year  he 
spent  in  his  canoe  visiting  his  missions  along  the  bay  and  up 
the  Fox  river.  In  1678  Father  Charles  Albanel,  just  return- 
ing from  an  English  prison,  became  Superior  of  the  western 
missions,  and  took  up  his  residence  at  Depere,  where  he 
built  a  beautiful  church,  aided  by  Nicolas  Perrot  and  other 
French  traders. 

In  1680  Father  John  Erjalran  was  stationed  at  Depere, 
but  how  long  he  labored  there  is  not  known.  At  any  rate, 
the  church  built  by  Father  Albanel  stood  yet  in  1686,  the 
date  engraved  on  the  monstrance  donated  by  Nicolas  Perrot 
to  the  church  of  St.  Francis  Xavier.  Things  now  took  an 
unfavorable  turn.  War  broke  out  between  some  Wisconsin 
ti'bes,  and  the  missionaries  were  in  constant  danger.  A 
servant  of  the  missionaries  was  pursued  by  the  Winnebagoes, 
near  Sturgeon  Bay,  and,  in  trying  to  escape,  he  ran  through 
a  grove  of  saplings.  All  of  a  sudden  the  hair  of  his  whig 
got  entangled  in  some  branch  overhead,  which  caused  it  to 
come  oflf.  The  savages  in  pursuit,  seeing  what  they  sup- 
posed the  brother's  scalp  and  his  bald  head,  halted,  much 
astonished,  to  examine  the  whig,  and  this  gave  him  a  chance 
to  escape.  But  unhappily  he  came  upon  another  band  of 
the  same  tribe,  who  unmercifully  killed  him.  There  is  a 
tradition  among  the  French  pioneers  of  Green  Bay  that 
about  the  same  time  also  a  Jesuit  Father  was  killed  near 
Sturgeon  Bay  by  the  same  Indians.  The  writer,  however, 
thinks  that  the  tradition  of  the  Father's  death  does  not  rest 
on  a  very  reliable  foundation.  Among  the  Foxes  another 
lay-brother  was  cruelly  treated  and  compelled  by  a  chief  to 
work  for  him,  a  drawn  sword  being  held  over  his  head  at 
times.  Father  Enjalran  accompanied  the  Ottawa  troops  led 
by  Durantaye  in  Denonville's  expedition  against  the  Senecas. 
Whilst  fearlessly  attending  the  wounded  on  the  field  of 
battle,  he  was  himself  severely  wounded.  During  his  ab- 
sence the  pagans  fired  his  church  and  house  at  Depere.  He 
subsequently  returned  to  his  mission  at  Depere,  but  how 
long  he  remained  there  is  not  known.  In  the  winter  of  1700 
he  was  living  at  Mackinaw,  and  thenceforth  his  name  ceases 
to  be  mentioned. 


241 

When  the  historian  Charlevoix  visited  Green  Bay  in  1721, 
he  found  at  the  Fort  of  the  Ba^  of  the  Puants  (Green  Bay) 
the  amiable  Father  Jean  Baptiste  Chardon,  a  Jesuit  Father, 
whose  chapel  was  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  mouth 
of  the  Fox  river,  up  river,  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  river,  a 
very  short  distance  west  of  the  present  French  church  in 
Green  Bay;  the  place  js  now  covered  with  water.  Medals, 
crosses,  and  other  devotional  articles  have  been  found  there. 
Father  Chardon  evangelized  the  Sacs,  but  not  finding  them 
docile,  he  was  studying  diligently  the  Winnebago  language, 
in  order  to  preach  to  that  tribe.  Charlevoix,  in  his  capacity 
as  embassador  of  the  king  of  France,  told  the  Sacs  to  respect 
and  listen  to  their  missionary,  if  they  wished  to  retain  the 
king's  favor.  That  same  year  Father  Chardon  was  sent  to 
the  Illinois.  He  was  the  last  Jesuit  Father  that  resided  at 
Green  Bay  of  whom  we  have  any  authentic  account. 

The  wars  between  the  French  and  Foxes  greatly  embar- 
rassed missionary  efforts.  The  Green  Bay  mission  was  per- 
haps occasionally  visited  by  Jesuit  Fathers  residing  at  Macki- 
naw (Michillinimackinac)  between  1721  and  1765.  It  is 
during  this  period  that  two  Jesuit  Fathers,  whose  names  are 
unknown,  were  killed  at  Depere.  The  event  did  not  occur 
prior  to  Charlevoix's  visit  to  Green  Bay  in  1721,  for  neither 
the  Relations  nor  Charlevoix  say  anything  about  it.  More- 
over, as  Augustin  Grignon,  in  his  memoires  of  his  maternal 
grandfather,  Charles  de  Langlade,  who  came  to  Green  Bay 
between  1744-46,  mentions  nothing,  of  this  tragical  event,  we 
must  conclude  that  it  did  not  occur  after  1744,  but  before  it, 
between  1721-45,  probably  during  the  Frenrh  and  Fox  war 
of  1728.  Elsewhere  we  have  discussed  this  subject  more  at 
length. 

The  war  that  broke  out  between  the  French  and  English 
for  the  possession  of  Canada,  1754-59;  then  the  Pontiac  war, 
1760-64;  the  American  Revolution,  1776-83,  kept  the  North- 
west in  a  continual  state  of  excitement,  so  that  hardly  any- 
thing could  be  done  for  the  conversion  of  the  Indians. 
Finally,  the  suppression  of  the  illustrious  Jesuit  Order  by 
Pope  Clement  XIV.,  in  1775,  was  for  a  time  the  death-blow 
of  Indian  missionary  work.  A  Recollect  Father  stationed 
at  Fort  Ponchartrain  (Detroit)  made  perhaps  an  occasional 
visit  to  Green  Bay,  the  last  time  about  1793. 


242 

The  first  white  bottlers  who  located  permanently  at  Green 
Bay  about  1745,  were  the  Sieur  Augustin  de  Langlade,  a  Pari- 
sian by  birth,  and  his  son  Charles,  born  in  Mackinaw  in  1729. 
A  few  other  French  families  soon  arrived.  In  1785  the  colony 
numbered  seven  families,  with  fifty-six  inhabitants.  In  1792 
and  18C4  the  settlement  increased  by  the  arrival  of  a  few 
French-Canadian  families,  so  that  at  the  beginning  of  the  war  of 
1812  there  were  250  inhabitants.  In  1816  an  American  garri- 
son arrived  at  Green  Bay  on  the  16th  of  July,  under  command 
of  Col.  Miller,  Maj.  Gratiot,  Chambers,  and  other  officers ► 
They  erected  a  fort  on  or  near  the  site  of  an  old  French  fort 
on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  called  Fort  Howard.  At  that 
time  the  Menominees  had  a  village  near  by,  about  a  half  a 
mile  distant,  under  a  chief  with  the  name  of  Tomah  (Thomas). 
Col.  Miller  requested  the  Menominees  to  give  their  consent 
for  the  erection  of  a  fort  in  the  neighborhood,  which  consent 
was  duly  given,  the  Indians  receiving  flour,  pork  and  some 
"fire-water." 

Green  Bay  now  began  to  grow,  settlers  moved  in,  a  home 
market  was  established  for  the  surplus  productions  of  the 
soil,  and  vessels  arrived  from  time  to  time  with  supplies  for 
the  garrison  and  settlers.  In  1820  Col.  Ebenezer  Childs 
located  not  far  from  Fort  Howard,  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river.  Next  year  Daniel  Whitney  arrived;  he  was  the  first 
American  that  opened  a  store  at  Green  Bay.  That  same  fall 
came  Gen,  William  Dickenson  and  three  other  Americans. 
Early  in  the  season  of  1821  a  large  delegation  of  Oneida  and 
Stock  bridge  Indians  arriyed  at  Green  Bay  in  order  to  make 
arrangements  with  the  Menominee  Indians  for  settling  in 
their  country.  The  arrangements  were  perfected  and  the 
Oneidas  located  six  miles  west  of  the  bay,  and  the  Stock- 
bridges  twenty-four  miles  above  Green  Bay  on  the  Fox  River^ 
The  Oneidas  still  reside  on  the  reservation  where  they  were 
first  located;  but  the  Stockbridges  subsequently  removed  to 
the  east  side  of  Lake  Winnebago,  and  many  live  on  a  reser- 
vation not  far  from  Shawano.  After  the  Black  Hawk  war  of 
1832  Green  Bay  grew  rapidly.   (Wis.  Hist.  Coll.,  vol.  III.) 

Michigan  territory  with  its  northwestern  district,  com- 
prising Mackinaw  County,  Upper  Michigan,  and  Brown  and 
Crawford  Counties,  embracing  the  present  State  of  Wisconsin 
and  part  of  Minnesota,  was  formerly  under  the  jurisdiction 
of  the  bishop  of  Quebec,  which  episcopal  see  was  founded  in 


243 

1659,  Monseigneur  Laval,  Bishop  of  Petrea,  I.  P.  I.,  being  the- 
first  bishop.  He  arrived  in  Quebec  on  the  16th  of  June,  1659, 
and  labored  with  apostolic  zeal  among  the  French  and  In- 
dians until  1672,  when  he  went  to  France.  June  the  19thy 
1821,  Pius  VIII.  erected  the  bishopric  of  Cincinnati,  which 
was  to  comprise  Ohio,  Michigan  and  the  Northwestern  Terri- 
tory. He  appointed  for  that  see  Rev.  Edward  Fenwick,  of 
Maryland,  ot  the  Dominican  Order.  He  had  two  vicar- 
generals,  namely  Frederic  Rese,  afterwards  firet  bishop  of 
Detroit,  and  Gabriel  Richard,  a  Sulpitian  and  pastor  of  St^ 
Ann's  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  since  1799. 

Thirty  years  had  elapsed  since  a  Catholic  priest  had  visited 
Green  Bay  (1793-1823).  In  1823  Father  Gabriel  Richard  of 
St.  Ann's  Church,  Detroit,  Mich.,  came  to  Green  Bay  and 
said  Mass  in  Pierre  Grignon's  house,  situated  on  Washington 
Street  (in  1866  the  property  of  Dr.  Crane).  In  1824  Green 
Bay  numbered  500  inhabitants.  Rev.  J.  Vincent  Badin, 
stationed  at  St.  Joseph's  Mission,  Mich.,  among  the  Potta- 
watamies,  visited  Green  Bay  three  times,  staying  each  time 
a  month  or  so  to  attend  to  the  spiritual  wants  of  the  people. 
His  three  visits  occurred  in  1825,  1826,  and  in  the  summer  of 
1828.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  1828,  Rev.  P.  S.  Dejean 
visited  the  mission. 

Pierre  Grignon  had  given,  but  without  a  deed,  six  lots  on 
which  to  bund  a  church  and  school,  but  at  his  death  this  pro- 
perty passed  over  to  his  heirs.  A  school,  which  was  also  to 
serve  as  a  chapel,  was  built  of  logs,  and  Rev.  Badin  appointed 
a  Frenchman  with  the  name  of  Favrell  to  keep  school  and  al- 
lowed him  to  assemble  the  people  on  Sundays,  read  to  them 
the  Gospel  of  the  day,  sing  hymns  and  read  prajrers.  But 
Favrell  soon  overstepped  the  limits  of  his  permit  and  at- 
tempted to  say  Mass,  minus  the  consecration,  and  to  mako 
processions  accompanied  by  the  soldiers  of  Fort  Howard. 
He  made  a  trip  to  Europe  with  an  Indian,  whom  he  every- 
where exhibited,  and  the  presents  often  made  to  the  latter 
found  their  way  into  the  Frenchman's  pocket.  To  crown  his 
work  of  hypocrisy  and  imposition  he  attempted  to  start  a 
church  of  his  own,  but  failed  egregiously.  In  1832  Very 
Rev.  Frederic  Rev6  was  sent  to  Green  Bay  to  rid  the  country 
of  this  impostor. 

In  1830  Bishop  Fenwick  of  Cincinnati  visited  Green  Bay, 
remaining  only  for  a  few  days,  but  in  the  following  year^ 


244 

1831,  he  stopped  there  for  three  weeks,  accompanied  by 
Rev.  Samuel  Mazzuchelli,  arriving  there  on  the  11th  of 
June.  They  held  a  kind  of  mission  during  their  stay, 
preaching  several  times  a  day  and  hearing  confessions  oft-^n 
until  ten  or  eleven  o'clock  at  night.  Many  who  had  not  gone 
to  confession  for  twenty,  thirty,  and  forty  years  maue  their 
peace  with  God.  The  bishop  confirmed  100  persons.  A  site 
was  selected  for  a  church  in  Menomineeville  (Shanteetown), 
half  way  between  Green  Bay  and  Depere,  $300  subscribed  for 
the  building,  and  the  work  begun.  This  church  burnt  down 
in  1846. 

In  1832  Rev.  Fathers  Simon  Siinderl  and  Fr.  X.  Hatscher, 
C.  S.  S.  R.,  where  stationed  at  Green  Bay,  where  they  bap- 
tized a  great  many  Menominees,  and  likewise  some  at  Grand 
Kakalin  (near  Little  Chute).  They  left  in  the  fall  of  1833  and 
went  to  ArbreCroche,  Mich.,  intending  to  establish,  if  possi- 
ble, a  house  of  their  order  there  for  the  conversion  and 
civilization  of  the  Ottawas  of  that  district.  In  1832,  Sept. 
26  th,  Rt.  Rev.  Edward  Fen  wick  died  of  the  cholera,  on  an 
episcopal  visitation,  at  Wooster.  The  same  year  also  Father 
Richard,  of  Detroit,  died  of  the  same  disease. 

In  November,  1833,  Rev.  S.  Mazzuchelli,  0.  P.,  came  with 
two  nuns,  cloistered  Poor  Clares,  to  Green  Bay.  Pister  Clare, 
an  American  lady  and  a  convert,  was  superioress.  The  other 
was  Sister  Therese  Bourdaloue,  and  their  Superioress  in 
Detroit,  whence  they  had  come,  was  Sister  Francoise  De  la 
Salle.  They  bought  two  acres  of  land  from  a  man  with  the 
name  of  Ducharme,  in  Menomineeville  (Shanteetown),  to 
erect  thereon  a  house  of  their  Order  and  a  school.  They 
taught  school  for  some  time,  and  there  are  still  people  alive 
(1886)  who  went  to  their  school.  They  remained  from  a  year 
and  a  half  to  two  years,  and  were  there  during  the  fearful 
cholera  visitation  in  1834,  when  Father  Van  den  Broek,  O.  P., 
was  stationed  in  the  Green  Bay  mission.  They  assisted  in 
attending  to  the  sick  and  burying  the  dead.  Sometimes 
no  one  could  be  found  to  bury  the  dead,  and  Father  Van 
den  Broek,  with  the  two  Sisters,  were  obliged  to  bury  them. 
Often  four  and  five  died  in  one  house,  of  the  terrible  sick- 
ness, many  even  while  making  their  confession,  and  some- 
times several  bodies  were  buried  in  one  and  the  same  grave. 

Father  Van  den  Broek,  who  had  arrived  in  the  summer  of 
1834,  labored  in  the  Green  Bay  mission  for  about  two  years 


245 


:f 


and  then  went  to  reside  in  Little  Chute.  In  December,  1836, 
Fathers  Hiitscher  and  Probst,  C.  S.  S.  R.,  took  charge  of  Green 
Bay,  but  only  for  some  months,  and  also  Father  Bernier  was 
there,  probably  only  on  a  passing  visit.  In  fact,  it  can  be 
said  that  Father  Van  den  Broek  attended  the  mission  from 
1834-1838,  namely,  for  two  years  whilst  residing  at  Menomi- 
neeville,  and  again  two  years  after  having  moved  to  Little 
Chute. 

In  the  niqrht  of  the  14th  of  April,  1838,  being  the  Saturday 
night  of  Holy  Week,  between  the  hours  of  ten  and  three, 
three  soldiers  of  Fort  Howard  violently  entered  the  church 
at  Menomineeville  and  robbed  "  one  silver  urn,  one  silver 
chalice  and  cover  (ciborium,  scattering  the  consecrated  hosts 
on  the  floor),  one  silver  communion  cup"  and  other  articles 
of  the  value  of  $300  (ita  Acta  judicialia  in  Green  Bay). 
The  names  of  these  sacrilegious  robbers  are  Samuel  Richard- 
son, Lucius  G.  Hammon  and  Nelson  W.  Winchester.  The 
stolen  articles  were  found  buried  in  the  sand.  The  celebrated 
monstrance  of  1686  was  among  the  stolen  articles.  The  per- 
petrators of  this  dastardly  deed  were  sentenced  to  imprison- 
ment at  hard  labor  from  six  to  twelve  months. 

Father  Florimond  Bonduel  was  stationed  during  two  terms 
at  Green  Bay;  the  first  time  from  1838-43,  and  then  again 
from  1858-61.  After  him  came  Rev.  Peter  Carabin,  a  Ger- 
man, from  1843-47,  who  in  his  turn  was  succeeded  by  Rev. 
A.  Godfert,  from  October,  1847  to  September,  1849.  In  the 
same  month  of  September,  1849,  Rev.  Anton  Maria  Ander- 
leder,  S.  J.,  at  present  Superior  General  of  the  whole  Jesuit 
Order,  and  Rev.  Joseph  Brunner,  S.  J.,  came  to  Green  Bay. 
Father  Anderleder  lett  in  September,  1850,  but  his  colleague. 
Father  Brunner,  remained  one  year  longer  in  Green  Bay, 
and  then  went  to  Manitowoc  Rapids,  where  he  was  stationed 
for  five  years.  He  then  was  removed  by  his  superiors  to 
New  Westphalia,  Missouri,  where  he  resided  for  two  years, 
then  went  to  Europe  and  from  thence  to  Bombay,  Hindoo- 
stan,  where  he  labored  most  zealously  for  nineteen  years. 
Father  Brunner  was  succeeded  in  1851  by  Rev.  John  C.  Per- 
rodin,  from  1851-57. 

In  1868,  Green  Bay  was  elevated  to  the  dignity  of  an 
Episcopal  See,  and  Rt.  Rev.  Joseph  Melchers  was  consecrated 
its  first  Bishop,  on  the  12th  of  July  of  that  year. 


Some  Peculiarities  'of  the  Chippewa  Language. 


1.  Long  words. — The  Chippewa  language  abounds  in 
long  words,  many  of  them  containing  eight,  ten  and  even 
more  syllables;  e.  g. :  Mitchikanakobidjigan — ifence;  madwes- 
Bitch  ige  winini — bell-ringer ;  metckikanakob  idjiganikewininivM' 
giyobanenag  (nineteen  syllables!)  a  participle,  meaning  "  men 
who  perhaps  did  not  build  fences.'*  There  are  two  reasons 
to  account  for  these  long  words.  First  the  continual  adding 
of  new  syllables  to  express  the  various  moods,  tenses,  per- 
sons, and  participles  of  the  verb,  which  in  modern  languages 
are  mostly  formed  by  means  of  short  auxiliary  words,  has, 
shall,  did,  would,  etc.  For  instance,  take  the  verb,  nin 
wabama  (root  wab);  from  this  verb  are  formed  words  of 
«even  to  eleven  S3'^lables;  e.  g.,  wabamawindiban,  he  was  per- 
haps seen;  waiabamigowagobanen,  they  who  were  perhaps 
seen  by,  etc.  Secondly,  the  compounding  of  words  from  two 
or  more  roots;  e.  g.,  kijabikisigan,  from  "kij,"  referring  to 
heat;  "abik"  refers  to  iron,  metals,  and  ohows  '  iat  the  heat- 
ing is  caused  by  something  made  of  iron  or  som^  metal;  "is," 
has  reference  to  burning  and  indicates  that  in  this  "  heating 
iron,"  fire  is  made  to  burn;  finally  "  igan  "  is  the  termination 
of  a  noun,  derived  from  a  working  verb  and  indicates  the 
object  that  performs  the  action  described  in  the  verb,  that  is 
it  names  the  object  or  thing  doing  the  work;  e.  g.,  pakiteige, 
he  hammers;  pakiteigan,  a  hammer.  Thus  the  Chippewa 
word  names  the  object  and  in  that  name  it  mentions  often  the 
material  Irom  which  th«  instrument  is  made  and  the  end,  pur- 
pose and  object,  for  which  it  is  intended,  the  same  as,  e.  g., 
telephone,  telegraph,  etc. 

2.  Great  number  of  Verbs. — Perhaps  nine-tenths,  if  not 
more,  of  all  Chippewa  words  are  verbs.  The  language, 
theref"ore,  is  the  very  expression  of  life,  activity,  being,  action. 
Nouns  are  transformed  into  verbs,  e.  g.,  ininiwi,  he  is  a  man, 


247 

from  inini,  a  man;  nokomissiban,  the  grandmother  I  once 
had,  i.  6.,  my  deceased  grandmother,  from  nokomiss,  my 
grandmother.  Adjectives  are  changed  into  verbs,  e.  g.,  gwan- 
atchiwan,  it  is  beautiful,  from  the  adjective  "gwanatch," 
beautiful.  Numerals  are  made  into  verbs,  e.  g.,  nijiwag,  there 
are  two,  from  "nij,"  two.  Adverbs  are  transformecl  into  verbs, 
€.  g.,  bakanad,  it  is  otherwise,  different,  from  "bakan,"  dif- 
ferently, otherwise.  A  great  many  different  verbs,  belonging 
to  different  conjugations,  and  differing  in  meaning,  are  formed 
from  one  and  the  same  root,  e.  g.,  the  root  "  wab,"  has  refer- 
ence to  seeing;  from  this  root  are  derived  nin  wabama,  I  see 
him — nin  wabandan,  I  see  it — nin  wabandis,  I  see  myself — 
wabandiwag,  they  see  each  other — wabange,  he  looks  on,  is  a 
spectator — o  wabangen,  he  looks  on  it — o  wabangenan,  he  looks 
on  hira — wabi,  he  sees.  All  these  derivative  verbs  are  formed 
from  their  primary  root  or  radix,  according  to  certain  regular 
Tules. 

3.  No  Gender  in  the  Chippewa  language. — All  nouns, 
adjectives  and  verbs  are  divided  into  two  classes,  namely, 
animate  and  inanimate.  Animate  refers  to  living  beings,  be 
they  really  so  or  only  by  grammatical  acceptation.  Inanimate 
indicates  lifeless,  inanimate  things,  real  or  grammatically  so 
-considered.  In  transitive  verbs  the  object  of  the  verb  decides 
whether  the  verb  to  be  used  is  to  be  animate  or  inanimate, 
e.  g.,  nin  sagia  aw  anishinabe,  I  like,  love  that  Indian;  the 
verb  "sagia"  is  animate  because  its  object  anishinabe,  Indian, 
is  animate — o  sagiton  ishkotewabo,  he  likes,  loves  fire-water 
.(whiskey),  the  verb  "sagiton"  is  inanimate,  because  its  ob- 
ject, ishkotewabo,  fire-water,  is  inanimate.  In  intransitive 
verbs  the  subject  of  the  verb  determines  the  character  of  the 
verb,  e.  g.,  nagosi  anang,  a  star  (gram,  anim.),  is  visible.  Here 
the  verb  is  animate,  because  the  subject,  anang,  star,  is 
grammatically  animate;  nagwad  anakwad,  a  cloud,  is  visible; 
here  the  verb,  "nagwad,"  is  inanimate,  because  anakwad 
•,(cloud)  is  inanimate. 

4.  Dual  form. — Besides  singular  and  plural  they  have  a 
kind  of  dual,  in  the  first  person  plural,  and  this  dual  form  is 
systematically  employed  in  all  transitive  and  active  verbs 
and  participles.  The  pronoun  "  we  "  has  a  double  form  in 
•Chippewa  to  express  its  double  signification.  If  the  word 
we  IB  meant  to  signify  not  only  the  speaker  and  his  party, 
•but  also  the  person  or  persons  spoken  to,  then  they  use  ifct, 


248 

kinamnd.  But  if  the  pronoun  we  is  to  be  confined  to  the 
speaker  and  his  party  (duo),  they  use  the  dual  form,  mri, 
ninawind.  Hence,  when  we  speak  of  God,  we  use  the  plural 
form,  Kossinan  (Our  Father),  and  when  we  speak  to  Himy 
praying,  we  employ  the  dunl  form  Nossinan.  So  alsc  in  the 
verbs  and  participles,  e.  ^.,  kinamnd  waiabamang  aw  inini,  we 
(includes  the  speaker,  his  party,  and  persons  spoken  to — plural) 
who  see  that  man ;  ninawind  waiabamangid  aw  inini,  i.  e., 
we  (only  the  speaker  and  his  party — duo,  dual  form)  wh^ 
see  that  man.  From  these  examples  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
Chippewa  dual  is  not  exactly  like  the  Greek  dual,  though  it 
somewhat  resembles  it. 

5.  Affirmative  and  Negative  forms. — All  verbs  have 
two  forms,  the  affirmative  and  the  negative,  and  each  has  its 
proper  moods,  tenses,  and  participles.  In  other  languages, 
the  negative  is  only  expressed  by  the  word  ^^not,^^  whilst  the 
verb  itself  remains  the  same,  whether  something  be  affirmed 
or  denied.  In  Chippewa  there  is  a  double  negation;  first  in 
the  word  "noi,"  kamn,  and  secondly  by  the  verb  itself,  which 
also  expresses  the  negation,  e.  g.,  ikito,  he  says  (affirmative), 
kawin  ikitossi,  he  does  not  say  (negative  form);  enamiad 
(affirm.),  one  who  prays,  i.  e.,  a  Christian — enamiassig 
(negat.),  one  who  does  not  pray,  i.  e.,  a  pagan.  Hence  it  can 
be  truly  that  on  account  of  this  double  form,  affirmative  and 
negative,  the  nine  Chippewa  conjugations  really  amount  to 
eighteen. 

6.  DuBiTATiVE  FORM. — All  Chippcwa  verbs  have  a  double 
conjugation,  which  might  be  designated  the  Assertive  and 
the  Dubitative  conjugations  of  said  verbs,  and  both  of  these 
conjugations  have  an  affirmative  and  negative  form ;  e.  g. 
ikito,  he  says — foot  "ikit." 

Assertive  •  I  ^^^^  ikit— I  say  (affirmative). 

*   (Kawin  nind  ikitossi — I  do  not  say  (negative). 

("Nind  ikitomidog — Perhaps  I  say  (affirmative). 
Dubitative:]  Kawin  nind  ikitossimidog — Perhaps  I  do  not 
(     say  (negative). 

The  dubitative,  as  the  word  implies,  means  an  affirmation 
or  negation  made  with  some  doubt,  uncertainty,  and  is  also 
used  in  speaking  of  historical  events  or  facts  of  which  the 
speaker  was  not  a  witness.  Thus  the  Chippewa  Indian  can 
express  by  the  verb  itself  the  nicest  shade  of  thought,  posi- 


249 

tive  assertion  or  doubtful,  positive  denial  or  dubitative.  It 
also  reveals  a  hidden  phase  of  their  mental  life;  their  vacil- 
lating, hesitating,  undecided  way  of  acting,  thinking,  and 
talking.  There  is  no  positivism  in  his  mentel  make-up.  On 
account  of  this  dubitative  form,  we  can  truly  say  that  the 
nine  Chippewa  conjugations  amount  to  thirty -six  ! 

7.  Great  number  of  terminations. — From  this  multi- 
plicity of  conjugations,  forms,  moods,  tenses  and  participles 
the  reader  can  form  some  idea  of  the  endless  number  of 
terminations,  with  which  the  Chippewa  verb  abounds  to 
express  every  possible  form  of  thought,  action,  or  being.  At 
the  most  moderate  calculation,  the  first  conjugation  contains 
122  terminations,  and  the  fourth  at  least  five  hundred,  if  not 
more.  It  is  an  herculean  task  to  commit  all  these  termina- 
tions to  memory,  to  remember  the  particular  idea  each  one 
of  them  conveys,  and  to  understand  and  employ  them 
readily  in  conversation.  The  writer  ventures  the  opinion 
that  no  white  man  ever  spoke  the  Chippewa  language  to  per- 
fection,  not  even  excepting  Bishop  Baraga,  who  composed  a 
dictionary  and  grammar  of  their  language. 

8.  Wonderful  regularity  and  system  in  the  Chippewa 
LANGUAGE. — There  are  only  two  irregular  verbs  in  the  whole 
language.  Neither  Latin  nor  Greek  can  compare  with  the 
Chippewa  in  regularity  and  system.  Every  possible  shade 
and  variety  of  thought,  action  and  being  can  be  expressed  in 
that  language  with  regularity  and  precision.  The  more  the 
scholar  studies  it,  the  more  he  admires  its  systematic  evolu- 
tion of  forms  to  express  corresponding  ideas.  It  may  be 
compared  to  a  majestic  Gothic  cathedral,  where  each  stone 
and  timber  fits  in  its  place.  It  is  the  very  opposite  of  the 
English  language,  a  conglomeration,  so  to  say,  of  Anglo- 
Saxon,  British,  Danish,  Norman,  Greek,  Latin,  etc.,  without 
hardly  anything  like  rule,  regularity,  or  system.  The  Chip- 
pewa language  is  the  very  embodiment  of  rule,  system,  and 
regularity.  The  ori^nators  of  that  language  in  ancient 
times  must  have  attained  a  high  degree  of  civiiiiiation.  Our 
Indians  now  are  but  the  remnant  of  ancient  civilized  races 
sank  into  barbarism  through  incessant  wars,  immigrations 
and  vice.  Their  language,  it  is  true,  is  poor  in  abstract 
words  or  terms  to  express  abstract  ideas,  but  the  fault  is  not 
in  the  language,  but  in  the  Indian's  mode  of  life.  He  is  a 
child  of  nature  in  all  ite  individuality  and  conoreteness. 


250 

Hence  his  ideas  move  onlv  in  the  circle  of  concrete,  indi- 
vidualized nature,  and  his  language  is  necessarily  bounded 
by  the  same  limits.  Were  they  a  European  nation,  with  the 
breadth  and  depth  of  European  ideas,  they  could  mould 
their  language  so  as  to  make  it  express  every  idea  con- 
ceivable. This  is  shown  in  the  names  they  have  given  to 
objects  of  civilized  make  and  invention,  e.  ^.,  biwabiko- 
mikana,  iron  road,  i.  e.,  railroad  ;  ishkotens,  a  little  fire,  i.  «., 
a  match. 

9.  Plasticity  of  the  language.— In  English,  most  of 
the  names  of  modern  inventions  are  taken  from  the  Greek 
language  as  being  the  most  plastic  and  expressive  of  known 
languages  for  the  coining  of  new  words  and  names.  Thus 
the  theological  word  "  incarnation  "  is  rendered  in  Chippewa 
by  "  anishinabewiidisowin,"  which  is  a  far  better  ana  more 
intelligible  expression  of  that  mystery  than  the  word  in- 
carnation itself,  and  even  the  German  word,  ^'Menschwerdtma." 
It  is  derived  from  the  verb,  anishinabewiidiso,  he  makes  him- 
self man  (in  German;  ©r  mac^t  W  8""^  9Jlenfc^en).  This  one 
example  will  suffice  to  show  that  the  Chippewa  language,  if 
moulded  by  the  European  mind,  would  be  wonderfully 
adapted  for  scientific,  philosophic  and  theologic  branches  of 
learning.  And  this  plasti  ^ity,  this  adaptibility  for  the  coin- 
ing and  compounding  of  words  is  one  reason  why  there  are 
so  many  long  words.  They  originate  from  the  attempt  to 
convey  in  one  word,  two,  three,  or  more  distinct  ideas;  e.  a., 
bidassimishka,  he  is  coming  here  in  a  canoe,  boat;  from  oi, 
denoting  approach;  ondass,  come  here;  bimishka,  becomes 
or  goes  in  a  boat,  canoe.  As  most  commmly  every  consonant 
is  followed  by  a  vowel,  it  is  eaey  to  clipp  off  a  part  of  the 
word,  retaining  but  the  root  to  preserve  the  radical  meaning, 
and  then  add  to  it  two  or  three  roots  of  other  words,  and 
thus  make  a  new  word.  Thus,  I  wash  my  feet,  ray  hands 
are  cold,  he  regards  me  with  compassion,  I  come  to  him 
begging,  weeping  with  hunger,  are  all  expressed  in  Chippewa 
by  one  single  word.  The  same  idea  is  manifested  in  many 
Latin  words,  adopted  into  the  English  language,  e.  g,,  edify, 
manufacture,  pontificate. 

10.  Euphony. — ^The  Chippewa  Indians  pay  great  atten- 
tion to  harmomousness  of  sound.  Hence  they  often  prefix 
or  add  a  vowel  to  a  word,  in  order  to  prevent  the  concurrence 
of  disagreeable,  hareh-sounding  consonants;  e.  g.,  "  epitch," 


251 


)> 


tten- 
[efix 
mce 
Ich," 


if  followed  by  a  word  beginning  with  a  consonant,  will  be 
made  epitchi.  Thus  they  prefix  the  letter  i  to  nay  dash,  etc., 
if  the  preceding  word  terminates  in  a  consonant  that  does 
not  well  assimilate  with  the  n  or  d  of  the  following  word. 
For  the  same  reason  they  put  a  consonant  between  two 
words,  the  one  concluding  and  the  other  beginning  with  a 
vowel;  e.  g.,  anamiewabo,  holy  water,  from  anamie,  holy, 
sacred,  appertaining  to  prayer;  and  abo^  referring  to  water 
and  liquids;  the  letter  w  is  inserted  for  the  sake  of  Euphony. 

11.  Vauious  kinds  of  Verbs  formed  from  one  and  the 
SAME  root. — Let  us  take  for  instance  the  root  anok,  which  has 
reference  to  work,  labor.     From  this  root  are  formed: 

a.  The  Common  verb,  anoki,  "  he  works." 

h.  The  Reciprocal  verb,  anokitaao,  "he  works  for  himself." 
These  verbs  show  a  reaction  of  the  subject  on  itself;  e.  gr.,  nin 
loabandis,  "  I  see  myself." 

c.  The  Communicative  verb,  anokitadiwag,  "  they  work  for 
each  other."  These  verbs  show  a  mutual  action  of  two  or 
more  subjects  upon  each  other;  e.  g.,  nin  migadimin,  "we  are 
fighting  with  each  other." 

d.  The  Personifying  verb,  nind  nnokitagon,  "  it  works  for 
me,  serves  me."  These  verbs  represent  inanimate  things  as 
acting  like  animate  beings;  e.  g.,  ki-ga-nimgon  ishkotewaboy^^ 
firewater  (whiskey)  is  going  to  kill  you." 

e.  The  Reproaching  verb,  anokitamki,  "  ne  has  the  bad  (?) 
habit  of  working."  These  verbs  signify  that  their  subject  has 
a  habit  or  quality  that  is  reproach  to  him;  e.  g.,  minikweshkiy 
"he  has  the  bf  1  habit  of  drinking;  he  is  a  drunkard"  (from 
minikwe,  "  he  drinks"). 

/.  The  Feigning  verb,  cnokikaso,  "be  feigns;  makes  believe 
he  is  working."  These  verbs  are  used  to  express  feigning, 
dissimulation;  e.  g.,  nibakaso,  "he  feigns  to  sleep"  (from 
niba,  "  he  sleeps"). 

g.  The  Causing  verb,  nind  anokia,  "  I  make  him  work; 
cause  him  to  work."  The  verbs  indicate  that  the  subject  of 
the  verb  causes  its  animate  object  to  act  or  do  something; 
e.  g.,  manisaey  "he  chops  wood";  nin  manissea,  "  I  make  him 
chop  wood." 

h.  The  Frequentative  verb,  aianoki,  "  he  works  often,"  nita- 
anoA:i,  "  he  ii  industrious;  likes  to  work."  These  verbs  in- 
dicate a  repetition  or  reiterstion  of  the  action  expressed  by 


252 

the  verb;  e.  o.,  nin  tangUhkawa^  "  I  kick  hi]u,"  nin  tata^qi^k' 
kawa^  "  I  kicK  him  several  times." 

i.  The  Pitying  verb,  nnokishiy  "  he  works  a  little  "  (being 
still  weak,  sickly).  These  verbs  are  used  to  manifest  pity; 
e.  y.,  nin  dehimash^  "  it  is  but  too  true  what  thev  say  of  ine;'^ 
nind  akomh,  "  I  am  deserving  a  pity;  being  sick." 

In  the  same  manner  various  kinds  of  verbs  are  formed 
from  nouns  transformed  into  verbs.  Take  for  instance  the 
noun  omrwjj  "  a  chief";  from  this  root  are  formed  : 

a.  The  Substantive  verb,  ogimawi^  "  he  is  chief;  he  rules. '^ 

b.  The  Common  verb,  nind  ogiinakandawa,  "  I  rule  over 
him;  govern  him;  am  his  chief." 

c.  The  Abundance  verb,  ogimaka,  "  there  are  many  chiefs  '^ 
(e.  ^.,  in  a  certain  place).  These  verbs  signify  an  abundance 
of  what  they  express;  e.  g.,  sagime^  "a  mosquito";  aagimeka 
oma^  "there  are  lots  of  mosquitoes  here." 

d.  The  PossesFive  verb,  nind  oaimam,  "  I  have  a  chief." 
These  verbs  denote  possession  of  property ;   e.  y.,  mokoman^ 
"  a  knife  "  (hence  kitchi  mokomanag,  "  the  Bi^  Knives,"  i.  e.^ 
the  Americans),  nind  omokoman,  "  I  nave  a  knife." 

e.  To  these  may  be  added  the  so-called  Working  verbs, 
which  denote  doing  or  making  p,  thing;  e.  g.,  'pakwejigan^ 
"bread,"  pakwejiganike,"  "  he    ^he  makes  bread." 

All  these  verbs  are  formed  according  to  certain  fixed  rulee, 
so  that  from  one  simple  root  perhaps  a  dozen  or  more  dififerent 
verbs  may  be  form^a,  and,  as  from  each  verb  of  these  kind 
verbal  nouns  may  be  made,  it  is  easy  to  be  seen  that  the 
Chippewa  language  is  richly  supplied  with  verbs  and  verbal 
nouns,  far  more  so  than  any  of  our  modern  or  classic 
languages,  that  is,  for  exprcscing  every  possible  mode  of 
being  and  acting  in  Indian  life.  It  is  truly  a  livinci,  acting 
language  ;  everything  in  it  seems  to  live  and  act. 

For  further  interesting  peculiarities  of  the  Chippewa 
language,  we  refer  the  reader  to  Bishop  Baraga's  ChiT>pewa 
Dictionary  and  Grammar,  published  by  Messrs.  BeaucLemin 
dc  Valois,  256  and  258  St.  Paul  street,  Montreal,  Canada. 


CHIPPEWA  ROOTS 

(Radical   Syllables  or  Words)   Resembling   Those   op 
European  and  Asiatic  Languages. 


Jkbreviatlonsi—Sanscrit  (Sans.)— Greek  (Gr.)— Gothic  (Goth.)— Latin  (F.at.)— 
Lithuanian  (Llth.)— Sclavonic  (Sol.)— Oerman  (Germ.)— Hebrew  (Hebr.)— 
Hibernian  (Hlb.)— Celtic  (Celt.)— Enirllsh  (Enjarl.)— Anglo-Saxon  (A.  Sax.)- 
Danish  (Dan.)— Dutch  (D.)— Russian  (Russ.)— Old  Germ.  (O.  Germ.) 

Mba — Chippewa  formative  conveying  the  idea  of  the  Eng- 
lish prefix:  un  ;  e.  g.y  nind  abaan,  I  untie  it ;  nind  ababi- 
kaan,  I  unlock  it.  It  also  means,  of,  off,  from;  Sans.,  apa; 
Lat.,  ab;  Gr.,  apo;  Goth.,  af;  D.,  af;  Germ.,  ab  (abnehmen). 

Abato,  baio,  means,  to  run;  e.  y.,  bimibato,  I  run  by  (a 
person,  house);  nin  kijikabato,  I  run  fast.  Gr.,  baino; 
Fr.,  s'abattre. 

Abi,  signifies  :  to  be  in  a  place;  e.  g.^  pindi^  abi,  he  is  in- 
side (house,  etc.);  nind  abitan,  I  inhabit  it,  abide  in  it. 
Engl.,  abide;  Lat.,  habitare;  A.  Sax.,  abidan;  O.  Germ., 
bitan;  Goth.,  beidan;  Dan.,  hie  (perhaps,  by,  bei). 

Abo,  refers  to  liquids;  e.  gr.,  enamiewabo  (prayer-water) 
holy  water;  ishkotewabo,  fire  water,  whiskey.  Sans.,  ap 
< water);  Lat.,  aqua;  Goth.,  ahra,  water  (flumen);  Lith.,uppl, 
river. 

AiabB,  nabe,  refers  to  male  beings.  Hebr.,  habbah,  or 
abba,  father  (primogenitor),  abbas;  Eng.,  abbot;  Germ.,  abt 
(perhaps  the  Germ,  word,  knabe,  is  derived  from  a  similar 
root). 

Animad,  it  blows,  refers  to  wind,  breath;  e.  gf.,  minwani- 
mad,  the  wind  is  good,  favorable.  Sans.,  an  (sonare),  anila, 
wind,  anemos;    I^t.,  animus,  anima;   Hib.,  anal,  breath. 


254 

anam,  life;   Goth.,  us,  ana  (expire);   Eng.,  animate;    Dan., 
aand;  Germ.,  odem,  athem,  athmen. 

And],  a  formative  syllable,  implying  change,  alteration; 
e.  gf.,  nind  andjit  n,  I  change  it;  andj'  ijiwebisin,  change  your 
way  of  living,  your  conduct.  This  formative  is  very  much 
used  in  compounding  words,  and  always  conveys  the  idea  of 
change.  Sans.,  antara  (derived  from  antar,  Lat.,  inter,  sub); 
Goth.,  anthar;  Germ.,  anders,  iindem;  Lat.,  alter,  the  "1" 
taking  the  place  of  the  Chippewa  "n";  Eng.,  alter,  other. 

Aw,  this;  e.  g.,  aw  inini,  this  man.     Hebr.,  hou  (him). 

Bata,  means  something  bad  or  wicked;  e.  g.y  bata  dodamo- 
win,  bad  doing,  bad  action;  bata  ijiwebisi,  he  is  bad,  wicked. 
Engl.,  bad  ;  Germ.,  bose;  Goth.,  bauths,  deaf,  dumb,  dull. 

Bi,  bic,  has  reference  to  liquids,  water;  e.  g.^  onagan  mosh- 
kinebi,  the  dish  is  full  (of  water  or  some  other  liquid); 
ogiuibic,  on  the  water;  giwashkwebi,  he  is  drunk,  dizzy  from 
drinking.  Gr.,  pino;  Lat.,  bibo;  Fr.,  boire;  Sans.,  pitar 
(beer  ^,0;  Germ.,  bier). 

Bi,  a  prefix  and  formative,  conveying  the  idea  of  some- 
thing coming  to,  or  being  brought  to  where  the  speaker  is; 
e.  g.y  bi-ijan  oma,  come  herel  bidon,  bring  it  here.  Eng.,  by; 
Germ.,  bei. 

Bibagi  (root,  bag>^  he  calls;  halloes.  Sans.,  vac;  Ijat., 
voco,  vox;  old  Germ.,  gi-vag;  Serb.,  vik-ati  (vociferate);  Fr., 
voix;  Eng.,  vocal. 

Da,  refers  to  rlace  where  a  person  or  thing  is,  or  said  to 
act;  e.  g.,  nin  da,  I  dwell;  endailn,  where  I  dweD,  my  house ; 
dagwaso,  she  sews  in  a  certain  place,  for  instance,  at  home. 
Germ.,  da,  darneben,  darunter  ;  A.  Sax.,  thaer;  Goth.,  thar.; 
Eng.,  there. 

Dan,  has  reference  to  possessing  things,  riches;  e.g.y  kitchi 
dani,  he  is  rich;  daniwin,  riches.    Sans.,  dana,  riches. 

Pjdam,  (root  dod).  Eng.,  do;  D.,  doen;  Germ.,  thun; 
Sans.,  da,  to  put;  dadami,  I  put.     Gr.,  tithemi. 

Gaie,  means  and.    Gr.,  kei;  Lat.,  que. 

Ga,  gin,  refers  to  motherhood;  e.  g.,  ninga,  my  mother; 
kiga,  thy  mother;  ogin,  his  mother;  ogiwan,  their  mother. 
Sans.,  gan;    Gr.,  ginomai;   Lat,  gigno,  genui,  genitor;  Hib., 


255 


genim,  I  beget;  Goth.,  kin;  Eng.,  kin,  kindred;  Fr.,  genese, 
generation. 

^a^Mrefly  (godj)  has  reference  to  questioning,  trying.  Sans., 
cest;  Lat.,  quaesivi;  Eng.,  quest,  question;  e.  g.,  nin  gag- 
wedjima,  I  ask  him  a  question;  gagwedjindiwin,  question. 

/niw,  onow,  these,  those.  Sans.,  ana;  Lith.,  anas,  an's  ''Ule, 
ilia);  Gr.,  en,  on;  Sclav.,  onu,  ona,  ono;  Chald.,  inum. 

hh,  an  affix,  implying  contempt]  e.  a.,  inini,  i  ir.u.; 
ininiwish,  a  bad  man;  ikwesens,  a  girl;  ikwesensish,  a  Oaa 
girl.  In  English  and  German  the  termination  "ish*'  means 
the  same  thing;  e.  g.,  boyish,  womanish;  Germ.,  weibip/^h. 

Jag  (pron.  zhag  or  shag)  implies  the  idea  of  weakness; 
e.  g.,  nin  jagwenima,  I  think  he  is  weak;  jagwiwi,  he  is  weak; 
jagwagami  anibishabo,  the  tea  is  weak.  D.,  zwak;  Germ., 
schwach. 

Ki,  Kin,  thou,  thy.     Hebr.,  ka;  D.,  gy. 

if  an,  a  formative  syllable,  generally  indicating  something 
bad;  e.  gr.,  manadad,  it  is  bad;  mn  manadenima,  I  think  bad 
of  him,  have  a  bad  opinion  of  him;  manj'  aia,  he  feels  un- 
well; manadisi,  he  looks  bad,  homely.  Lat.,  mains,  bad;  as 
in  Chippewa  they  have  no  "  1,"  the  letter  "n"  is  always  sub- 
stituted for  it,  e.  g.j  angeli — anjeni.  As  the  Latin  formative, 
mal,  is  used  in  compound  words,  e.  g.^  malevolus,  malignus, 
maleficium,  etc ,  and  always  conveys  the  idea  of  something 
bad,  so  also  the  Chippewa  man  has  the  same  meaning  in  all 
words,  in  which  it  occurs  The  Chippewa  and  Latin  forma- 
tive seem  to  be  identical  in  meaning  and  origin. 

Mang,  a  formative  implying  something  large,  great;  e.  g.y 
mangidibe,  he  has  a  large  head;  mangademo  mikana,  the 
trail,  path,  road  is  large,  wide.  This  root,  'inang,  is  much 
used  in  compound  words.  Sans.,  manh;  Gr.,  megas;  Lat., 
magmis;  Goth  ,  mikils;  Hib.,  mochd;  Dan.,  mange;  Germ., 
mancher.  Conf.  also  Chippewa,  nin  magwia,  I  am  greater, 
stronger  than  him,  surpass,  overcome  him;  nin  mamakade- 
nima  (root  mak),  I  admire  him  (for  his  greatness,  strength, 
etc.) 

Manifo,  means  spirit;  e.  a.,  Kije  Manito,  God;  Kitchi 
Manito,  the  Great  Spirit,  Goa.  Sans.,  man  to  think;  manas, 
soul,  spirit;  Lat.,  mens;  Eng.,  mind  and  man;  Gemi.,  mann; 
Ban.,  mand. 


256 

Mashk,  refera  to  anything  strong;  e.  g.,  mashkawisi,  he  is 
strong;  maehkawagami  anibishabo,  the  tea  is  strong.  Lat., 
magnus  (?);  Germ.,  macht,  machtig;  D.,  magt. 

Min,  the  opposite  of  "man,"  implies  something  good,  and 
therefore  lovely;  e.  y.,  mino  inini,  a  good  man;  mino  ikwe,  a 
good  woman.  It  is  much  used  in  compound  words,  nin 
minwadendam,  I  have  good  patience;  mmotchige,  he  does 
well.  Sans.,  mid,  mind  to  love;  D.,  beminnen,  to  love;  0. 
Germ.,  minna,  mi  ni  love,  hence  the  word  minnesanger. 

Ma,  particle  u  3d  in  asking  questions;  e.  g.,  ki  gi-wabama 
na?  did  you  see  him?    Lat.,  ne  (putasne?);  Fr.,  ne. 

M/n,  means  I.     Hebr.,  ani,  ni. 

if  ingot,  means  one;  ningoting,  once.  Hebr.,  achad;  Sans., 
eka. 

Nongom,  means  now.  Lat.,  nunc;  Germ.,  nun;  D.,  nu; 
Eng.,  now  (perhaps  from  iw  (this)  gon  (day),  this  day). 

-on,  a  formative  syllable  referring  to  ships,  boats ;  e.  9., 
pindonag  (from  pind,  inside,  in,  and  on,  boat,  canoe),  in  a 
canoe,  boat;  nin  mangon,  I  have  a  large  boat  (from  mang, 
large,  and  on  boat).    Hebr.,  oni,  boat. 

Ogima,  means  chief ;  kitchi  ogima,  a  great  chief,  a  king. 
Gr.,  hegemon. 

Ond,  ondj,  conveys  the  idea  of  origin,  source,  cause,  reason 
why  and  for;  e.  gr.,  Jesus  gijigong  gi-ondjiba,  Jesus  came 
from  heaven;  kin  ondji  dodam,  he  does  it  for  you,  on  your 
account.  Lat.,  unde,  inde  :  D.,  ont  (ontstaan)  ;  Germ.,  ent 
(entkommen). 

Takona  (root  tak),  I  take,  seize ;  e.  p.,  takonigewinini,  a 
man  who  takes  people —sheriff,  constable.  A.-Sax.,  tacan ; 
Eng.,  take. 

Tang,  refers  to  touching ;  6.  0.,  nin  tangina,  I  touch  him. 
Lat.,  tango;  Gr.,  tynchano;  Eng.,  touch  ;  Germ.,  tasten 
(antasten);  tangible. 

Wan,  implies  losing;  e.  gr.,  nin  waniton,  I  lose  it ;  nin  wa- 
nendan  (I  lose  it  mentally)  forget  it;  nin  wanishin,  I  make 
a  mistake ;  this  root  is  much  used  in  compound  words. 
Hebr.,  aviin;  Lat.,  vanus,  vanitas;  Eng.,  vain. 

W9weni.    Eng.,  well:  Lat.,  bene:    Germ.,  wohl.    (Perhaps 
the  root  is  on,  onijishin  it  is  good;    participle,  wenijishing, 
•  good,  that  which  is  good. 


257 

i.^i^Al^^'^u^  prefixed  to  verbs  to  denote  will,  determina- 
tion to  do  a  thing;  e.  gr.,  nin  wi-ija,  I  wiU  go.  Germ  and 
Eng.,  will;  Lat.,  volo,  velle;  Gr.,  boulomai. 


Swede,  vid;  Dan.,  ved. 

Wissin,  midjin,  to  eat.    Lat.,  edere,  est,  or  edit-    Germ 
eesen,  er  ist;  D.,  eten;  Eng.,  eat.  '        ^'' 

Many  more  might  be  added. 


Chronological  Table. 


1490  (?) — Chippewas  settle  on  Madeline  (La  Pointe)  Island. 

1492 — Columbus  discovers  the  New  World. 

1534 — Jacques  Cartier  sails  up  the  St.  Lawrence. 

1541 — De  Soto  discovers  the  Missigsippi. 

1605 — First  permanent  French  settlement  in  North  America, 
made  at  Port  Royal. 

1607— Jamestown  in  Virginia  founded. 

1608 — Quebec  settled  by  Cham  plain. 

1615 — Recollec*  Fathers'  arrival  in  Canada. 

1620 — Landing  of  the  Pilgrims  at  Plymouth. 

1625 — First  Jesuit  Fathers  land  at  Quebec.    The  Recollect 
Father  Viel,  the  proto-matyr  of  Canada,  is  drowned 
by  a  pagan  Indian,  at  Sault  au  Recollet,  near  Mont-' 
real. 

1629 — Canada  taken  by  the  English  under  Kirk,  and  all  the 
missionaries  carried  to  England. 

1632 — Canada  restored  to  France. 

1633 — Jesuits  return  to  Canada. 

1639— Jean  Nicollet  visits  the  Winnebagoes  and  other  tribes 
at  the  head  of  Green  Bay. 

1642 — Fathers  Jogues  and  Raymbault,  S.  J.,  plant  the  cross 
at  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  Michigan.  Fii-st  captivity  of 
Father  Jogues 

1646 — October  18,  Father  Isaac  Jogues  killed  by  the  Mo- 
hawks. 

1648~-July  4,  Father  Anthony  Daniel,  S.  J.,  killed. 

1649— March  16,  Father  John  de  Brebeuf,  S.  J  ,  cruelly  put 
to  death  by  th*^  Iroquois.  March  17,  Father  Lale- 
mant,  S.  J.,  tortured  to  death.  December  7,  Father 
Charles  Garnler,  S.  J.,  killed,  and  on  the  8th,  death 
of  Father  Natalis  ChabaiieJ,  S.  J.  Huron  mission 
destroyed. 


259 

1654 — Two  French  traders  pass  St.  Ignace  on  their  way  to 
Green  Bay,  namely,  GrosseUliers  and  Radieson; 
they  are  discovered  in  a  starving  condition  on  Made- 
line Island;  visit  the  Hurons  at  the  headwaters  of 
Black  River,  Wisconsin,  and  the  Sioux  in  Minnesota; 
return  to  Quebec  in  1660. 

1656 — Father  Leonard  Garreau,  S.  J.,  killed. 

1660 — October  15,  Father  Rene  Menard,  S.  J.,  arrives  at 
Keweenaw  Bay,  Michigan. 

1661 — First  mass  in  Wisconsin,  by  Father  Menard,  between 
the  let  and  10th  of  Aueust;  he  perishes  or  is  killed 
at  the  headwaters  of  Black  River,  Wisconsin,  about 
August  10th. 

1662 — Conflict  at  Troqouis  Point,  Lake  Superior. 

1663 — Great  earthquake  in  the  whole  St.  Lawrence  valley. 

1665 — October  1,  Father  Claude  AUouez,  S.  J.,  arrives  at 
Chagaouamigong  (Chequamegon)  Bay,  and  begins 
the  mission  of  the  Holy  Ghost  on  La  Pointe  du  Saint 
Esprit,  at  the  head  of  Chequamegon  Bay.  About 
the  same  time  or  before  that,  Nicholas  Perrot  visits 
the  Pottawatamies  at  Green  Bay. 

1667 — Father  Allouez  returns  to  Quebec  and  brings  back 
with  him  Father  Louis  Nicolas  to  La  Pointe  du 
Saint  Esprit. 

1668 — Father  Jacques  (James)  Marquette,  S.  J.,  stationed  at 
Sault  Ste.  Marie. 

1669 — Father  Claude  Dablon,  S.  J.,  arrives  at  the  Sault; 
Father  Marquette  stationed  at  La  Pointe  du  Saint 
Esprit,  September  19.  Father  Allouez  founds  the 
Green  Bay  mission  of  St.  Francis  Xavier,  Decem- 
ber 3. 

1670 — Father  Allouez  founds  the  mission  of  St.  Mark,  above 
Lake  Winneconne,  Wisconsin,  April  25 — the  mission 
of  St.  James,  not  far  from  Portage  City,  Wisconsin, 
May  1 — the  mission  of  St.  Michael,  among  the 
Menominees,  near  the  mouth  of  Menominee  River, 
Wisconsin,  May  8 — another  near  Little  Sturgeon 
Bay,  Wisconsin,  among  the  Winnebagoes  and  Potta- 
watamies. 

1671 — June  14,  great  mass  meeting  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie;  the 
mission  of  La  Pointe  du  Saint  Esprit  abandoned. 


260 

1673 — June  17,  Father  Marquette  and  M.  Joliet  discover  the 

Mississippi. 
1674 — Chapel  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie  burnt  by  pagan  Indians. 

1676— Father  Marquette  dies  on  the  eastern  shore  of  Lake 
Michigan. 

1676 — Nice  church  built  at  Depere,  Wisconsin. 

1677 — Father  Marquette's  remains  brought  by  a  party  of 
Kiskakon  Indians  to  Mackinaw  and  interred  at 
Point  St.  Ignace. 

1679 — Father  Hennepin,  0.  S.  F.,  and  La  Salle  arrive  at 
Mackinaw.  Du  Luth  visits  the  Sioux,  and  the  fol- 
lowing year  gees  up  the  Bois  Brul6  and  down  the 
St.  Croix  River,  Wisconsin. 

1680 — Father  Hennepin  ascends  the  Mississippi  to  the  Falls 
of  St.  Anthony.  September  18,  Father  Gabriel  de 
la  Ribourde,  0.  S.  F.,  killed  in  Illinois  by  some 
Kickapoo  Indians. 

1687 — Church  and  mission  house  at  Depere  burnt  by  pagan 
Indians. 

1690 — Father  Allouez  dies  at  St.  Joseph's  mission,  Michigan. 

1695 — A  French  trading  post  established  at  Chagaouamigong. 

1705 — Mission  of  Mackinaw  abandoned;  the  Fathers  with  a 

sorrowful  heart  burn  their  church  to  prevent  its 

desecration  by  pagan  Indians. 
1721 — ^The  historian,  Chanevoix,  visits  Green  Bay;  Father 

Chardon,  S.  J.,  stationed  there  at  that  time. 
1728 — French  and  Fox  war;  probably  during  that  war  two 

Jesuit  Fathers  were  put  to  death  by  pagan  Indians 

at  Depere,  Wisconsin. 
1741-66 — Father  Peter  du  Jaunay  stationed  at  Mackinaw. 
1745 — Augustine  de  Langlade  and  his  son  Charles  settle  at 

Green  Bay. 
1764 — Commencement  of  the  Old  French  War. 
1759 — Quebec  taken. 

1776 — July  4,  Declaration  of  Independence. 
1783— End  of  the  war  between  Great  Britain  and  the  United 

States. 
1790— Diocese  of  Baltimore  erected.    Mt.  Rev.  John  Carroll 

consecrated  August  15. 

1793— May  25,  First  ordination  in  the  United  States,  that  of 
Rev.  Stephen  T.  Badin. 


261 

1799 — Rev.  Gabriel  Richard  visits  Arbre  Croche.  Washing- 
ton dies. 

1810 — November  4,  Rt.  Rev.  Benedict  Joseph  Flaget  conse- 
crated Bishop  of  Bardstown,  Kentucky.  Pope  Leo 
XIII.  born,  March  2. 

1816 — December  8,  Archbishop  Carroll,  Baltimore,  died. 

1822 — January  13,  Rt.  Rev.  Edward  Fenwick,  first  Bishop  of 
Cincinnati,  consecrated. 

1823 — Rev.  Gabriel  Richard  visits  Green  Bay;  a  combination 
school  and  church  built;  destroyed  by  fire  in  1825. 

1826~Rev.  J.  V.  Badin  visits  Green  Bay,  also  in  1826,  1828. 

1828— Rev.  P.  S.  Dejean,  of  Arbre  Croche,  Michigan,  visits 
Green  Bay. 

1830-1831— Rt.  Rev.  E.  Fenwick  visits  Green  Bav;  also  V. 
R«v.  Frederic  Rese.  Father  Baraga  arrives  in  New 
York,  December  31, 1830. 

1831— First  Catholic  Church  in  Wisconsin  built  at  Menomi- 
nee ville,  near  Green  Bay — destroyed  by  fire  in 
1846  (?) 

1832 — Rev.  Siinderl  and  Hatscher,  C.  S.  S.  R.,  take  charge  of 
the  Catholic  congregation  of  Green  Bay.  Bishop 
E.  Fenwick,  of  Cincinnati,  dies  of  the  cholera  at 
Wooster,  Ohio,  September  26.  Father  Van  den 
Broek  arrives  in  Baltimore,  August  15. 

1833 — Rev.  Siinderl  and  Hatscher  go  to  Arbre  Croche.  Rt. 
Rev.  Frederic  Rese,  first  Bishop  of  Detroit  (and 
first  German  Bishop  of  the  United  States)  consecrated 
October  6. 

1834 — July  4,  Father  T.  J.  Van  den  Broek  arrives  in  Green 
Bay — cholera  there  that  same  year. 

1835 — Rev.  Frederic  Baraga  arrives  in  La  Pointe,  Madeline 
Island,  July  27;  he  builds  a  chapel  at  Middlefort. 

1836— The  Redemptorist  Fathers  take  charge  of  Green  Bay 
for  the  second  time.  Father  Van  den  Broek  goes  to 
Little  Chute. 

1838— Rev.  Florimond  Bonduel  takes  charge  of  the  Green 
Bay  congregation.  Visit  of  Bishop  Rese  to  La 
Pointe,  Wisconsin. 

1839 — Father  Van  den  Broek  completes  his  church  in  Little 
Chute. 


262 

1841-Pre8ent  church  of  La  Pointe,  built  by  Father  Baraga. 

Rt.  Rev    Peter  Paul  Lefevre,  coadfutor  of  Detroit 

consecratea  November  21.  *  "^  ^^''^ou, 

1843-Rev.  Peter  Carabin  takes  charge  of  Green  Bay.  Father 

i«A^i>.^^^^«*  '?'?^^®«  *«  ^-'A'^se*  Michigan.         ^ 

L^^J^^Si^^'*^'^  ^."^^i'  of  Milwaukee,  conee- 
crated  March  17--created  Archbishop  in  1875-died 
Sep  ember  7, 1881.  August  16, 184^  Bishop  Heini 
i«4^n  ""^l^^'T  }?^  ^^^'^^^  and  French  in  La  PoiSte 
1845~October  4,  Rev.  Otta  Skolla,  0.  S.  F.  Str.  Obs.rarrives 
1^47  T?i^  A  f^^A^^  removed  to  Keshina  in  1853. 
1M7-Rev  A  Godfert  takes  charge  of  Green  Bay.  Father 
ifi^«        Van  den  Broek  goes  to  Holland.  ^ 

mfclRif  a'^a'!?''?^  2**^^^^^^^^^^«'«  i^  Wisconsin. 

J«^?~"5^'u  A-.^nd^ledy  leaves  Green  Bay. 

1851-Fa^her  Van  den  Broek  dies  at  Little  Chute,  Novem- 


